A Time of Peace A Time of War
by Cody the Impaler
Summary: Zidane returns to Alexandria, and everyone lives happily ever after...Well, not exactly.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone, this is my first time at writing a Final Fantasy fanfic, and I chose Final Fantasy IX, because it's one my favorite in the series. There are a couple of points I must make before I begin. The first is that I don't know if I'll use all the characters from Final Fantasy IX. I personally did not care for every character, and there's only so much I can do with them.  
The second is that I don't know the time difference between Zidane's return to Alexandria from the Lifa Tree. Garnet's hair re-grows, and Vivi has a bunch of kids—although it is not know for certain if Vivi is still alive, although in my story he will be. But despite these events, Eiko is shown at nearly the same age. Therefore, I won't try to guess on the time differences in the story; but at the most, it'll be no more than one year. Anyway, on with the story; and please remember to read and review!

_I see a rainbow rising.  
Look there, on the horizon.  
And I'm coming home_—

"Stargazer"—Rainbow

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter I**

The nobles were silent. And the rooftop watchers were silent. Queen Garnet was silent too—but not in thought.

"_This play's about me…At least, it's somewhat about me. I'm the princess, and Zidane was the peasant that I fell in love with…But now Zidane's gone…I even requested a search over the Lifa Tree, and there was no sign of him. I've been told that I should move on. Find somebody new…But that's hard for me to do. I still want to believe he's out there. He promised me that he'd come back…"_

"Bring my beloved Dagger to me!"

Garnet gasped. "_My god!"_


	2. Reunion

**Author's Note:** Did everyone survive the prologue:)That chapter will probably be the shortest in the entire story.

_In my heart I reach you.  
In my heart I reach out to you.  
In my heart I touch the face of God.  
In my dreams somehow_—

"Arc of Space"—Bruce Dickinson

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War.**

**Chapter II**

Amidst the cheers and tears, Zidane and Garnet walked arm-in-arm passed the nobility. Once the two had re-entered the Castle, Garnet placed her head against Zidane's chest. Zidane ran his fingers through her hair until a large number of guests ended their bliss.

From the hallway entered: Freya, Vivi and his children, Amarant, Quina, Eiko, Cid, and Hilda. They were quickly followed by Steiner and Beatrix, who descended from the stairs.

Zidane smiled. "Looks like Vivi's been busy…How're all of you?"

"Zidane!" exclaimed Eiko, as she charged towards him and embraced him. "You foolishly jumped into the Lifa Tree, caused poor Dagger too worry, and all you can say's, 'How're all of you!'"

Zidane hugged Eiko. "Well, I missed you too, Eiko."

"All right, Zidane, you've got some explaining to do!" stated Freya.

"I'm curious to know what happened to you," responded Vivi.

"Yes, do tell," replied Cid.

"Whatever happened to you hasn't changed you any," said Amarant.

"You!" added Steiner, while he shook his fist.

Zidane returned his smile. "Hey, Rusty…doesn't look like I can call you that anymore since you have some new armor."

Steiner was silent.

But Zidane laughed. "Well, I guess I do have something to tell."

Everyone nodded.

"Okay, where should I start?"

"What happened in the Lifa Tree?" asked Eiko.

"Hmm…well, I guess that's a good place to start. Okay, my descent through the Lifa Tree was similar to that time Dagger, Vivi, Steiner, and I escaped from the Evil Forest…"

"The Evil Forest?" interjected Amarant.

"Oh, wait!" replied Eiko. "I think I've heard about that before. Was that the incident where you—and your brothers in Tantalus—kidnapped Dagger so you could take her to Lindblum, but the Theater Ship crashed?"

"That's correct. It crashed right in the Evil Forest."

"And the Forest started to come after you?"

"That's right."

"Nobody tells me anything," Amarant interjected again.

"That's because you never ask!" replied Eiko.

The party chuckled, but Zidane returned them to a serious level.

"Anyway, the roots of the Lifa Tree were beginning to close in on me, and I realized that if I made even the slightest mistake I'd be killed. I remember that I fell a very long way…I'm not even sure how far it was. But I remember that I hit the base of the Lifa Tree, and that somehow I survived."

"Did you see Kuja in the Lifa Tree?" asked Vivi.

Zidane nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Was he still alive?" asked Freya.

"…Yes…yes for a short time he was."

"Did he say anything to you?" asked Steiner.

"…Yes, he did."

"And what was that?" added Garnet.

Zidane sighed. "He said that he regretted what he did, and that he was glad that all of us made it out okay…He also said that after we defeated him, he finally discovered what it means to live."

Amarant squinted his eyes. "What does that mean?"

"Wait!" began Garnet, while she massaged Zidane's hand. "Zidane, is this bothering you?"

"No…not really."

Garnet nodded. "Okay, because I thought you seemed kind of annoyed."

"It's not that I'm annoyed. It's just that…well…I feel sorry for him."

"Sorry for him!" exclaimed Amarant. "How can you feel sorry for the guy that tried to kill you and the woman that you love! …Furthermore, he tried to kill all of us!"

Zidane nodded. "I'm aware of that, but Kuja was a victim of very bad circumstances. I can't say that I wouldn't have done the same thing if I was raised in those circumstances…"

"That's no an excuse," interjected Steiner.

"I'm not saying that it is. All I'm saying's that I understand him…When he said to me that he now understood what it meant to live, I could tell he was no longer angry at the world. That he'd reached some sort of inner peace…It's something that all of us desire…It's just too bad that Kuja didn't discover it until it was too late."

The party was silent. They took in Zidane's words. Finally, Vivi broke that silence.

"Zidane, what happened after Kuja stopped moving?"

Zidane smiled. "_I can see that he uses the black mages' term…_The Lifa Tree closed in on us."

"Indeed," replied Steiner. "That's what I discovered when I went on an observation of the Lifa Tree from the air after we returned to Alexandria."

"Then how did you survive?" asked Freya.

Zidane chuckled. "Dagger asked me the same thing on the stage…Would you like to answer her, Dagger?"

Garnet smiled. "Zidane said that he didn't have a choice. He said that he needed to come home to me."

Freya smiled. "That's so sweet, Zidane."

Zidane returned the smile. "Thanks, Freya. By the way, did you ever rediscover Sir Fratley?"

"Yes! After we defeated Kuja, I discovered him in Burmecia. He still doesn't remember our past, but our relationship has returned."

"I guess that means that he really loves you."

Freya blushed. "Yes…I guess so."

"So what're you doing now?"

"I'm helping in the rebuilding of Burmecia."

"So how's that coming along?"

That question, however, was a touchy subject; and everyone around Freya knew it. On this particular day, Garnet requested not to have politics discussed. For their part, the party did not change their expressions when they heard Zidane's question.

"…We're making progress…But hey, you're the star here today! I think you've got one more question to answer."

"Or more than one," added Amarant. "I've got another question to ask you."

"What's that?"

"While you say that you had to come home to see Dagger, I know there's something more to it. I want to know what you physically did to escape the Lifa Tree."

Zidane smiled. "Hey, the power of love's pretty strong!"

"Hmph!" replied Amarant.

Zidane laughed. "I think I must've gone into trance mode…Well, there's more to it than that as well. I sang Dagger's song…"

"Our song," interjected Garnet.

Zidane chuckled, and brought Garnet even closer to him. "Well, I sang 'Our Song,' and it helped me think of Dagger; and that certainly helped me."

"What's your song?" asked Freya.

"It's a song that I remembered as a child in Madain Sari. It gives me comfort whenever I need it."

"It was a bitch to climb out of that tree that much I can tell you."

"So then what happened?" asked Vivi.

"…I remember just being in horrible shape. But I thought about all of you. I remember that I made my way to the Black Mage Village. I remembered hoping that I'd see you there, Vivi, but you weren't there."

"When were you there?"

"I don't remember the specific date, but some of the mages told me you were in Alexandria…To be quite honest, you probably wouldn't have wanted to see me at that time. I had some pretty horrible looking wounds…The black mages took real good care of me though.

Once I was healed up, the mages were able to fix me up with a boat, and I returned to Lindblum…"

"And that's when he got back with us," a voice interjected.

Zidane turned and smiled. "Always coming in at the good times, aren't you Boss?"

Baku chuckled. So did the other members of Tantalus.

"Yep," Baku began, "Zidane returned to Lindblum. We were happy to see him alive, and I know that Zidane felt the same about us. But he often asked us about all of you guys…particularly his queen, Dagger."

Garnet smiled.

"And when Zidane heard that Dagger wasn't seeing anyone his face became as bright as the sun."

Everyone chuckled.

"Oh, I can just see that!" replied Eiko. "How cute Zidane'd look."

"Well, I don't care how Zidane'd look," began Steiner, "but I can tell you that the queen's heart was set on him."

Zidane kissed Garnet's forehead. "Thank you."

Blank chuckled. "Eh, that kiss wasn't nearly as good as the one that you did in front of the crowd."

Zidane smirked. "Who asked you to judge my kisses, Blank? Have you gotten any better with Ruby?"

With the exception of Blank, the Tantalus members laughed.

"I think Blank still can't control her," replied Marcus.

"But now it appears that everyone knows what has happened to Zidane up to this point," added Baku. "Now the only question is, what's Zidane going to do now?"

Zidane smiled. "What I'm going to do now is what all us Tantalus boys do when something good happens. A return to Dagger—and a reunion with all of my friends—equals a party!"


	3. The Best of Times

_The best of times are when I'm alone with you.  
Some rain, some shine.  
We'll make this a world for two_--  
"The Best of Times"—Styx

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War.**

**Chapter III**

That evening, Zidane and his friends wined and dined. After the party was over, Zidane and his friends retired to their individual quarters. Zidane's room was next to Garnet's chamber. Personally, he would have preferred Garnet's room, but royal politics would never allow such a thing. After he finished his last sip of wine, Zidane stepped onto his room's balcony and stared at the two moons.

"_It's weird, but as I stare at those two moons, I can't help but think about that time when I was thirteen years old. That was when I wanted to find out who I was—who my parents were. And all I had to go on was the blue light that I could faintly remember…The light that happened to be the light of Terra. Of course I couldn't find it, and I came back home to Tantalus; and Baku beat the living shit out of me…But when I came home, I realized that I was home. Now…I've come to see Alexandria as my home as well…"_

Zidane's thoughts were abruptly ended when two soft hands wrapped around his waist. "What's this? A thief caught off his guard?"

Zidane turned to see Garnet smiled. He smiled back at her. "Me? Never!"

Garnet chuckled. "There's no reason to lie, Zidane. I heard you gasp when I caught you."

Zidane continued to smile. "I can see that you learned a few techniques during our travels together."

Garnet kept her smile. "Please, sit down beside me."

Zidane did as Garnet requested. "So Dagger, tell me what has happened to you since we separated that day on the airship?"

"…It was hard, because I wanted you to be by my side…"

"Well, I'm here now."

"Yes, you're here now, and that gives me comfort…But there's another problem that I've to deal with."

"What's that?"

Garnet sighed. "Let me ask you, Zidane…Did you notice anything odd when you asked Freya about the reconstruction of Burmecia?"

"…No…why?"

Garnet breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good…I didn't want too many questions about that today."

"…What do you mean, Dagger?"

"Do you remember the destruction of Burmecia, Clerya, and Lindblum caused by my mother?"

"Of course, I witnessed it."

"Alexandria's being held responsible."

"It wasn't your fault though, Dagger."

"I know that…But that doesn't matter."

"Why doesn't it matter?"

"Because people don't understand what happened."

"Then why don't you tell them?"

"Because it wouldn't make any difference…Look…all these people know is what they saw. They saw Alexandria attack their cities. Yes, obviously, I wasn't involved, but that doesn't matter. I was part of the royal family then, and now I'm queen.

Then, of course, you could say, 'Well, it's Kuja's fault,' but that still doesn't matter. Most of the citizens know nothing about Kuja, and even those that do still say—and rightfully so—that it was my mother that attacked those nations…That's why…I have to say that besides your homecoming, Zidane, I was so happy at the cheers that I received when I leapt into your arms from Alexandria's citizens."

"Why would they be mad at you, Dagger? Surely they know that you didn't cause the destruction to Alexandria."

"They do, but that's not the problem."

"Then what is?"

"I've had to increase taxes on them."

"Oh, Dagger…"

"I know, and I didn't like doing it either…But I didn't have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"The people of Burmecia and Clerya deserve money from us. Uncle Cid hasn't asked for money on Lindblum itself, but a lot of the families—particularly in the Industrial District—have. I mean, countless lives were ruined. Many couples lost their spouses. Children lost their parents."

"_Your words're reminding me about that Burmecian soldier, Dan, and his family that sought refuge in Clerya. Dan was killed by the black mages. His wife lost her breadwinner, and his children lost their father…At the same time, I wonder if any of them survived. Brahne_ _unleashed Odin onto the city."_

"Unfortunately," continued Garnet, "we don't have enough money in the treasury to pay for all the retributions. So we had to tax the citizens. The citizens, however, are angry over the tax. They rejected the actions of my mother—once they learned what she had done—and now they feel they're paying the burden for it."

Zidane stood up. "Well, in a sense they are, Dagger…No one likes to pay taxes, especially over something they'd no control over…But I want to help you through this. I'm a commoner, after all; and I can relate to them."

Garnet stood beside him, and kissed him. "Thank you, Zidane."

Zidane returned the kiss. "You're welcome…You're having a meeting with Freya tomorrow, right?"

"Yes."

"I'd like to be there as well."


	4. A New Beginning

_So destiny has brought us together.  
Oh, so close together.  
We were light angels in the night.  
Living the dream,  
at last I'll be with you forever.  
And all at once it feels so right_—

"Fever"—Judas Priest

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War.**

**Chapter IV**

At nine the next morning: Garnet, Steiner, Beatrix, and Freya gathered in the conference room.

"Well, should we begin, Dagger?" asked Freya.

Garnet did not answer.

"Is something wrong, Your Highness?" asked Beatrix.

"Well, Zidane said to me last night that he wanted to be here for this meeting, but…"

"Oh, I saw Zidane earlier this morning! He wasn't able to see you like he wanted to, but he left me with a message; and I forgot to tell you it."

"What was the message?"

"He said that he had to go into town today, and buy something very important. He wouldn't say what it was; only that it was important. And if he couldn't get back in time for the meeting that you should start without him, because he was certain Freya's time was valuable; and that she shouldn't wait on his behalf."

Freya smiled. "Well, that was considerate of Zidane to understand how important other people's time is."

"So, should we begin, Your Majesty?" asked Steiner.

"_Why isn't Zidane here? What could be so important in town that he'd miss this meeting? …Well, it's my duty as a queen to conduct this meeting even if Zidane's not here…But when he comes back; I'm going to wring his neck! _…Yes, let's begin."

Freya nodded. "Thank you, Dagger."

"So what's the situation so far?"

"Well, some civilian homes've been rebuilt…And many citizens of both Burmecia and Clerya've expressed their gratitude over the reparations they've received…However, there's still much more that needs to be done."

"Like what?"

"Burmecia's palace has yet to be rebuilt. Our legendary statue of a dragon knight's still damaged. And in Clerya, money must be given to rebuild the cathedral, and a request has been made to return the jewel that'll recall the sandstorm."

Garnet nodded. "The jewel can be returned immediately, but I'm afraid that the money you're requesting'll take a little bit more time."

"Quite frankly, Dagger, you've been saying we'll need 'a little bit more time' for sometime now. And I don't know how much longer that line of rhetoric'll work on the citizens of Burmecia and Clerya."

Garnet nodded. "I understand where you're coming from, Freya, but please understand me. The tax collectors've had a hard time collecting the taxes…"

"With all due respect, Dagger, that may be true; but I'm afraid that won't be a satisfactory answer for the citizens of Burmecia or Clerya. They want their money now."

"Tell them to be more patient," interjected Steiner.  
"They've been patient enough as it is! Many of them lost everything they had—including a spouse, a parent, or even a child!"

"Please relax," replied Garnet. "Beatrix?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Please summon the Royal Accountant."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

A few minutes later, Beatrix returned with the Royal Accountant—a short-robust man in his mid-forties that bowed before his queen.

"How can I help you, Your Majesty?"

"Jeremy, do you know how much money's in our Treasury at this moment?"

"…I'd say around one million gil."

Garnet nodded. "Thank you." And she turned to Freya. "Freya, would around 900,000 gil be helpful?"

Freya smiled and nodded. "Yes, we can rebuild so much with that."

Garnet smiled. "Thank you. Jeremy, please complete the transaction."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Zidane returned to the Castle. And the first person that he noticed was Captain Steiner.

"Hey Steiner! I haven't missed the meeting, have I?"

"It ended half an hour ago. What praytell was so important that you had to go into town and miss this meeting?"

"I'm sorry. I can't tell you that."

"What!"

"Only Dagger's going to be the first to know. But don't worry, you'll be hearing about it very soon…Speaking of Dagger, where is she?"

"She's in the throne room."

"Thanks."

* * *

"Zidane!" Garnet replied, almost to the moment he entered the throne room. "You said that you wanted to be at the meeting today, and then you didn't bother to show up!"

"_Damn, she's really angry_…Well, I had my reasons."

"So I heard. You had to go into town and buy something. And what was so important that you had to go into town and buy it now, rather than wait until later?"

"Well, I had it on my mind after we finished talking last night…It's a gift for you."

The statement, 'it's a gift for you' sparked Garnet's interest. "Oh?"

Zidane reached into his pocket, pulled out a small box, and opened it.

Garnet gasped. Inside the box was a diamond ring.

Zidane smiled, and knelt before his queen. "Would you always be my dagger, Garnet?"

"…Yes!"


	5. The Confrontation

_There's a man who sees all there is to see.  
What the future holds for all.  
As the days grow dark as his sole and final warning_--  
"The Shining"—Black Sabbath

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter V**

Word spread throughout the Castle of Zidane's proposal, and Garnet's acceptance. And a few hours later, Zidane and Steiner were in discussion. Steiner congratulated Zidane on his future marriage and recounted the events from the meeting.

"So that was it, huh?" asked Zidane.

"That was it. Freya seemed to be happy with the 900,000 gil."

"But how long'll that last?"

"…I don't know."

"You know, I obviously wasn't going to tell this to Dagger, but that ring I bought her was very expensive."

"Well, aren't most engagement rings?"

"I don't know. I'm not in the marriage business. Speaking of which, what're the chances that you'll propose to Beatrix?"

Steiner was caught off guard. "Uh…"

Zidane laughed. "That's all right. You don't have to answer that question. The only reason why I brought up the ring was what the shop owner told me."

"What was that?"

"She apologized."

"About what?"

"The cost of the ring. She told me that she had to increase the price on merchandise due to the taxes." Zidane chuckled. "I don't think that she saw me yesterday during the play, which's probably a good thing, because she was very honest with me."

"What did she say?"

"She said that she and her husband had nothing to do with the attacks on Burmecia, Clerya, and Lindblum; so why're they having to pay for it?"

Steiner sighed. "It's not an easy question to answer."

"Obviously! And I told her that I agreed with her…You guys've got to come up with a better solution, because what you've got right now sucks."

Steiner smiled. "That 'you' is going to turn into 'we' whenever you and the queen get married."

Zidane was thrown off guard. "Damn, I guess you're right."

Steiner chuckled. "So…are you going to be king or prince consort?"

"I've never been one for royal titles, but I think declaring myself 'the king' over exceeds an office I've no hereditary right to; so I'll stick with 'prince consort…' But I want to return to this tax problem. I'm thinking of all the area that's part of Alexandria. Surely the nobles in Treno have enough money in their pockets to cover Alexandria's reparations?"

"…They probably do, but…"

"But what?"

"That's not what's happening."

"…What do you mean, 'that's not what's happening?'"

"The tax on the nobles is less than the tax on the peasants."

"Oh, fuck!" Zidane said with a sigh. "Whose bright idea was that?"

The words 'bright idea' struck a raw nerve with Steiner. "It was the idea of the council, and Her Majesty approved of it."

"Well, she needs to overturn it. I'm going to have a discussion with Dagger over this."

"Zidane…I understand that our position isn't a popular one, but you need to understand the alternative."

"And what's that?"

"If we were to raise the nobility's tax, they could turn against the crown."

"And you don't think the commoners'll turn against the crown?"

"I don't want anybody to turn against the crown…"

"But you're letting it happen."

"Look, Zidane, commoners don't have the resources to raise money against the crown, but the nobles do."

"…I understand your position, Steiner…But…I don't think you're seeing another alternative."

"And what's that?"

"Commoners may not have enough money to raise any army, but they can form their own."

"They don't have the weapons to do so…"

"They may not, but they have strength in numbers. Furthermore, we didn't have an army and we defeated Kuja, did we not?"

Steiner did not respond.

But Zidane smiled. "You're a good man, Steiner…And I'm sure you're beliefs're sincere. But if you put too much pressure on the common people, they'll fire back!"

* * *

That evening, before dinner, Zidane joined Garnet on her balcony for a glass of wine. Zidane held Garnet close, until a gust of wind forced him to say, "It's getting cold. I think we should go inside. I'll build us a fire. Plus," Zidane added, while he finished his glass, "I think I'd like a beer."

"A beer?"

"Yeah," Zidane began, while he started the fire, "I'm a commoner, remember?"

Garnet giggled. "That's soon to change." And she kissed him. "Prince Consort Zidane Tribal."

Zidane chuckled. "I think I'll still ask most people to call me, 'Zidane…' But on the subject of commoners, I've to talk to you about something."

"What's that?"

"I was talking to Steiner today. He told me about the meeting with Freya, and I asked him about the reparations. I asked him why you couldn't tax the Treno nobles. Surely they've enough money to pay all of Alexandria's reparations. But I was told—by Steiner—that the nobles aren't being taxed as much as the commoners…That's not very smart, Dagger."

Garnet sighed. "I don't like it either, Zidane…But you have to understand Treno's nobles. They're greedy—very greedy. And they love money more than anything in the world. And they feel threatened if somebody tries to take it away."

"Well, Dagger, most peasants only have so much…And when you take away more of their money, they've nothing. The nobles've more money than god! They can afford to pay more and still've food to eat; but the peasants don't!"

"…But they can't raise an army."

Zidane sighed. "Oh, fuck."

Garnet gasped. Zidane had never been this explicit before with her.

"Look, Dagger," continued Zidane, "the nobles won't be able to raise an army against you."

"How do you know?"

"For starters, where're they going to get the people? They sure as hell won't be able to get them from Treno's lower-class citizens, because the lower-class hates the upper-class."

"What about from Burmecia and Lindblum?"

"That'll fail as well."

"How do you know?"

"What're the Burmecians going to do once Freya tells them that the reason why the Treno nobles're pissed off at the crown's because the crown wants to tax them so they can pay their reparations? …The same holds true for Lindblum. Once Regent Cid states why the nobles're pissed they won't follow."

Garnet said nothing and looked at the ground.

Zidane placed his hands into hers. "Look, I told you last night that I wanted to help you. But I can't help you with what you're doing, because I don't support it. And what's interesting is, neither do you."

Garnet nodded. "You're right. I don't."

Zidane returned the nod. "Look, if you don't stand up for what you believe's right, people'll walk all over you…And to be honest, Dagger, that's happening to you right now. I'm pretty sure that the nobles regard you as a weak queen."

Garnet sighed and looked back to the ground. "I don't know what to do…"

"But I do."

Garnet raised her eyes.

And Zidane kissed her. "I'm going to talk to the nobles, and I'm going to convince them to help pay off the reparations."


	6. A Shot in the Dark

**Author's Note: **Greetings everyone! Sorry, that I've been a little behind with updating, but I'd say that I'm still faster than most. Anyway, this is the point where the plot really kicks in. I should also point out that this chapter will be one of my most explicit, in terms of dialogue. I would like to thank everyone that's stayed with the story so far, and I ask everyone to please continue to read and review!

_But a shot in the dark,  
one step away from you.  
A shot in the dark,  
not a thing you can do_—

"Shot in the Dark"—Ozzy Osbourne

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter VI**

The last three months for Zidane Tribal were not particularly joyful. Zidane and Treno's nobles went gone back and forth over the issue of taxes. Zidane prayed to the nobles to pay their fair share, and informed them of the consequences. The consequences were that one day the lower-class citizens would storm their homes. But the nobles scoffed at Zidane's warning. They considered it to be an idle threat. Plus, despite the fact that Zidane was Garnet's fiancé; he did not have any political authority. And while that was true, Garnet quickly put a stop to that. She ordered that the nobles who would not pay more of the tax money were to be arrested.

Some of the nobles surrendered, and paid Garnet what she had requested. Others, however, resisted—and found themselves in an Alexandrian prison. Because the captured nobles hid their money, Garnet made the decision to confiscate and sell their property. Unfortunately for the queen, the nobles who had paid Garnet did not have the resources to purchase other property; and nobody from Lindblum had any interest either. The end result was the tension between rich and poor in Alexandria—and the Mist Continent—had never been higher.

* * *

Yet, at the same time, Zidane's life improved. Today was his wedding day. The wedding was to be celebrated in Alexandria Castle in an untraditional manner. All the members of Tantalus served as Zidane's best men. Garnet was escorted to the altar by Captain Steiner and Regent Cid. Eiko acted as the ring bearer.

After the ceremony, Zidane and Garnet stood on the Castle balcony. Many of Alexandria's subjects had gathered, despite their differences to the crown. Both Zidane and Garnet smiled, and waved to the crowd. But their smiles quickly ended when a shot rang out.

Zidane covered Garnet, while Steiner and Beatrix acted as shields around them. As the soldiers from Alexandria and Lindblum attempted to find the shooter, Steiner and Beatrix rushed Zidane and Garnet inside.

"Forgive me, Your Highness," Steiner said—almost to the point of tears—while he knelt before his queen. "I should've had better security."

"It's my fault as well, Your Majesty," added Beatrix, as she too knelt before the queen. "I should've placed more soldiers around the balcony."

Garnet nodded. "None of this is your fault. We had plenty of soldiers from both Alexandria and Lindblum. So please, don't worry."

"_Not our fault?"_ replied Steiner and Beatrix.

"Could you please leave us?"

Steiner and Beatrix nodded. And at the same time replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."

* * *

With Steiner and Beatrix gone, Garnet turned to Zidane. "They really hate me, don't they?"

"_Oh god, I hate answering questions like this!"_

"Zidane?"

"It's not you who they hate. It's the person who they think you to be…They simply don't know my Dagger."

"Well, who do they think I am?"

"Let's not worry about that right now, Dagger…"

"No, I have to worry about it! Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life…And now look at it."

"Not just you, Dagger, but me as well…And some individual has turned this day into a lousy day…But I look at it like this. I could bitch and complain about an event that I can't go back and fix…Or I can try to move on…I'm going to choose the latter, and make this day the happiest day of my life."

Garnet hugged Zidane, and kissed him. "Thank you, Your Highness. You're so sweet."

Zidane smiled. "Hey now, don't start addressing me by those titles!"

Garnet returned the smile. "I know, and I thank you for making me feel better…But I'd still like to know what happened today."

"Your Majesty?" Steiner replied from the other side of the door.

"Yes, Steiner?"

"We've captured the shooter. He's being held in the dungeon."

"Thank you, Steiner."

"Steiner?" responded Zidane.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Damn it, don't call me that! Just 'Zidane' will do."

"Sorry about that, Zidane."

"Don't worry about it. Look, I'd like to confront this shooter. Would you take me to him or her?"

"It's a 'he,' and yes, I'll take you to him."

"Zidane?" replied Garnet.

"I want to find the answers to your questions, Dagger."

Garnet nodded. "I'm coming with you."

* * *

Alexandria's dungeon was a cold and clammy place. "_Thank god, I never ended up here during my days with Tantalus."_

"There's the man," Steiner said, while he pointed to a man in shackles. The man was moderately tall, with brown hair and eyes. He appeared to be in his middle twenties.

When the man saw the queen and her husband he flashed a wicked grin. "Oh, look, if it isn't the oppressor and her husband!"

"Silence naïve!" shouted Steiner.

Zidane raised a hand, a gesture that told Steiner to be silent. Then Zidane grabbed a chair, and placed it before the man. But before Zidane sat down, he kicked the man in the stomach. "That's for ruining my wedding, and trying to take away the woman that I love!"

The man gasped under the blow, but when he was able to regain his composure his grin returned. "The woman…the woman you love…is ruining…our lives…We're starving…going under…Not that you'd…ever understand that."

"I wasn't born rich."

"Wait!" replied Garnet. "How am I hurting you?"

The man sneered. "You bitch!"

But the fist of Zidane silenced him. "Don't you ever talk to my wife like that!"

"You're lucky that I don't unsheathe this sword and gut you!" added Steiner.

"Zidane! Steiner!" responded Garnet. "I want to hear what this man has to say…All of it! I want to hear every single word."

Zidane and Steiner nodded.

"What've I done to you?" asked Garnet.

"You're taxing us into extinction! That's what you're doing, you fucking bitch!"

Zidane's fists shook. So did Steiner's. The two men would have loved to have beaten this prisoner to a bloody pulp. But did not, out of respect to Garnet.

"I know the taxes're unpopular, and I don't like them anymore than you do; but I simply didn't have a choice. Please try to understand that."

"And please try to understand that me and my family're starving in Treno! Not that you'd understand that. You probably eat three course meals everyday!"

"_He's right. I don't know what it's like to starve. Even when I was traveling with Zidane and the others we ate regularly_…I admit that you're right. I do eat three meals everyday. And no, I don't know what it's like to starve."

"Exactly! Typical fucking nobility…Although, at least you admit that you don't know what it's like to starve…But it really doesn't matter, does it?"

"Huh?"

"The revolution's coming."

"Revolution?"

"Yes, revolution."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that the poor and working man's savior's coming. Soon he'll lead us to paradise, and your sorry asses'll be the ones who have to live in the northern slums."

"And just who's your savior?"

The man chuckled. "You really're a fool, aren't you? Do you think I'm going to give the man's name away? I'll take his name to the grave with me, because I know you'll have me executed. But that's okay, I don't fear death. Nevertheless, you'll know the man's name soon enough."

"Perhaps if you give me his name, I'll spare your life."

The man continued to smile. "That's all right. I'll just be the sacrificial lamb."

After that comment, Garnet left him. And so did Zidane and Steiner.

* * *

Outside the dungeon, Zidane, Garnet, and Steiner discussed what they had learned.

"So what do you think?" Garnet asked.

"I think he's lucky you told me to back off," replied Zidane. "Otherwise I would've beaten his ass a lot more!"

"And I would've helped him," added Steiner. "Now then, should I arrange a date for the execution?"

Garnet shook her head. "No."

"What!" exclaimed Steiner.

"As much as I wanted to beat his ass," added Zidane, "I think an execution's a bad idea."

Steiner turned to Zidane. "Explain?"

"I don't know if Dagger has the same idea as me, but if she executes that man it'll add even more fuel to the fire that Dagger's a tyrant. The classes're sharply divided…"

"So what? He tried to kill both of you…On your wedding day no less!"

"_Thank god, Steiner's not running the country,"_ replied Garnet. "Steiner?"

"Yes, Your Majesty?"

"Have you ever starved before?"

"…I've had to eat less when I was on the field of battle…"

"No, I mean completely starve. That is, to go without food for days."

"…I guess not."

Garnet nodded. "Thank you…Zidane was on the right track with what he was saying. To execute a man who's starving would make me out to be a tyrant…Besides, if you were starving you'd probably act irrational too."

"…I suppose that's possible."

"Certainly it's possible and probably true," replied Zidane. "What concerns me now is who's this 'great savior' that man talked about?"

"I don't know," responded Garnet.

"Neither do I, but I know how we can find out."

"And how's that?" asked Steiner.

"The man said he was from Treno. I'll ask some of my brothers from Tantalus to investigate for me."


	7. Revolution

**Author's Note:** Hey everyone! Sorry that I've been late in updating this story, but I had to get caught up with school and all. I hope that since the last chapter I haven't left you too much in suspense. And to let all of you know, I have the flow of chapter eight in mind while I'm finishing chapter seven. Well, among all things, please remember to read and review!

_Mother Russia, how are you sleeping?  
Middle winter cold winds blow.  
From the snowflakes drifting,  
swirling 'round like ghosts in the snow.  
Mother Russia, poetry majestic,  
tells the tale of great empire.  
Turning 'round the old man ponders,  
reminiscing an age gone by.  
Mother Russia, dance of the Tsars.  
Hold up your heads.  
Be proud of what you are.  
Now it has come, freedom at last.  
Turning the tides of history and your past.  
Mother Russia, dance of the Tsars.  
Hold up your heads.  
Remember who you are.  
Can you release the anger, the grief?  
Can you be happy, now your people are free?_—

"Mother Russia"—Iron Maiden

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter VII**

A few weeks had passed since Zidane asked Tantalus to discover who the 'savior' was that attempted to assassinate himself and Garnet. Since that time, Zidane and Garnet did their best to forget the incident that took place on their wedding day. Their best remedy was to stay in bed longer, and to enjoy its fruits. But three weeks later, Zidane discussed with Captain Steiner what he had learned.

"Well, I learned something interesting from the Tantalus boys."

"What's that?"

"A name."

"A name?"

"Yes, my brothers've given me a name."

"And who's that?"

"Someone named 'Haldan Errol.'"

Steiner gasped. "Haldan!"

"…Do you know him?"

Steiner nodded. "Indeed, he was one of the Knights of Pluto."

"Really! Then you must know some info on him."

"Not really, I haven't seen him in years."

"What happened to him?"

"He was a great warrior, but he wouldn't conform."

Zidane smirked. "I can relate to that."

Steiner gave Zidane a look. "What do you mean, you 'can relate to that'? The last time I checked, you were a member of a gang called, Tantalus."

Zidane chuckled. "Yes, but it was different from the Knights of Pluto."

"How so?"

"You were able to speak your mind freely more than the average soldier. I couldn't stand being in the military…I'm too much of a free thinker."

Steiner glared, and shook his finger. "Then perhaps you should join Haldan! Those soldiers protect your freedom!"

Zidane smiled, and motioned Steiner to calm down. "Relax, Steiner, I understand that; I'm just making a point. All I'm trying to say's that the military life wasn't for me…"

"But the life of a thief was!"

"And don't forget the life of an actor too! You need to be more liberal, Steiner; and understand that there're people in the world, who see the world differently than you."

Steiner glared.

But his glare ended when Garnet entered the room. "Your Majesty," Steiner said with a salute.

"Were you two fighting again?"

"No we weren't," Zidane replied with a chuckle, while he brought Garnet forward for a kiss. "I was just enlightening Steiner, that's all."

Steiner shook his fist. "I'm enlightened enough, you foolish peasant!"

"Stop it! That's enough!"

"Yeah," Zidane said with a smile, "I'm a member of the aristocracy now."

"The same goes for you too!" added Garnet.

"Yes, ma'am…Are you feeling better now, Dagger?"

Garnet sighed. "I was until you two decided to argue…But other than that, yes, I'm feeling much better."

"That's good. You were really ill this morning."

"What exactly was the matter, Your Majesty?"

"My stomach was bothering me. I guess it was something that I ate last night."

"Perhaps I should inspect the kitchen, Your Majesty?"

Garnet shook her head. "No, I don't think that's necessary, Steiner."

"Your Majesty!" Beatrix exclaimed, while she charged into the room.

"What's the matter, Beatrix?"

"Treno's under attack!"

The room gasped.

"What!" replied Garnet. "What exactly's going on!"

"The commoners're rebelling against the nobles. Homes're being attacked, and nobles're being killed in the streets."

"We must restore order at once!" commanded Steiner.

Beatrix nodded. "Yes, I've sent out a regiment already to restore order."

"This is obviously Haldan's work," responded Zidane.

"Who's that?" asked Garnet.

"Yes, who's that?" added Beatrix.

"The person who I sent Tantalus to find out about…he's the person turning the common people against Dagger. Steiner can tell a little bit more about him as well."


	8. A Victory?

**Author's Note:** Hey, everyone! Sorry that I've been a little bit behind with this update. School has just been hitting me pretty hard lately. I'll try to work on chapter nine some this weekend. But, as always, please continue to read and review!

_Oh, you—you're made of fire.  
Never higher, you were made to run.  
Oh, you—you're burning higher.  
You've got the fire.  
You were born on the sun.  
Get ready to run!_—

"Born on the Sun"—Ronnie James Dio

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter VIII**

The belief among Alexandria's court was that Treno would be retaken within a few days.

But two weeks later, Captain Steiner informed Zidane, "Treno has been retaken."

Zidane sighed. "Thank god! …That'll be good news for Dagger to hear."

"How's the queen doing?"

"I don't know. She hasn't been throwing up anymore, but she still feels weird…Doctor Tot's looking at her right now."

Steiner nodded. "Yes, it's a good that the doctor came all the way from Lindblum to help."

Zidane returned the nod. "Perhaps what was even better was the fact that Doctor Tot was smart enough to realize what was happening in Treno and flee before things got too rough…It's only too bad that he had to ride on a gargant to get here and not an airship."

Again Steiner nodded. "Agreed."

After Steiner finished his statement the double doors to the throne room opened to reveal General Beatrix.

"Beatrix!" replied Steiner.

Zidane smiled. "Hey, Beatrix! Steiner just finished telling me the good news about our recapture of Treno."

Beatrix sighed. "It may not be as good as you think."

"What do you mean?"

Beatrix handed Zidane a letter. "Here, read this."

Zidane read the letter.

* * *

_Greetings and Salutations to the entire court of Alexandria!_

_By the way, is Captain Steiner still there? I certainly hope so. I always enjoyed the way he'd get pissed off at me. Jumping up and down in his rusty armor, shaking his fists. I should've called him 'Captain Rusty' more often!_

_Well, as you can see, the revolution's happening. Soon it'll be you—the royals—who are searching for table scraps. While me and the common folk will be living like kings! I'm sure that by the time you read this, you will have retaken Treno. But that's okay. We don't mind losing Treno. We've taken everything good that we wanted out of it anyway. We left it in a waste of rubble, ash, and the remains of the tyrannical nobility!_

_Well, I'm sure you'll be hearing from us soon. And, again, make sure to say, "hello" to Captain Steiner for me!_

_Your ever loving pal!_

_Haldan_

* * *

After he read the letter, Zidane returned his gaze to Steiner and Beatrix. 

Steiner kept his tongue between his teeth, but it was obvious that he wanted to scream. "_Oh, I hate that son of a bitch! But if I express my feelings about him right now, it only adds him a moral victory."_

"So he's funny and smart at the same time," replied Zidane.

"You call that funny!" exclaimed Steiner. "The man's leaving us with a threat…And how dare he insult me!"

"That's what made the letter funny," smiled Zidane. "It reminded me about myself, and our adventure together."

"Then perhaps you should join him!"

"Shut up, both of you!" replied Beatrix. "And it's time for you to become serious, Zidane!"

Zidane nodded. "Don't worry, I'll become serious."

Beatrix returned the nod. "Then what's our next move?"

"We've many of them. To begin with, I know that Haldan'll strike again. His letter confirms it. It's obvious that by his words, he's claiming a moral victory over us. In his eyes we only regained Treno, because it was of no more use to him. Here's what we've to do.

To begin with, we must increase our security—both for Dagger and myself; but also around the Castle and in the city of Alexandria itself. Second, we must pay off our debt immediately! And we must do it without any more taxes."

"But how're you going to do that?" asked Steiner. "It has already been shown by the royal accountant that we simply don't have enough money in the Treasury."

"Then we'll have to pay with something else. I know that Dagger has some jewels, and we've some royal treasures…"

"Those're important heirlooms to our kingdom!" interjected Beatrix.

Zidane nodded. "I understand, but we don't have a choice. If we don't pay off our debt immediately, Haldan's army'll simply increase."

"Her Majesty still must approve of this."

Again Zidane nodded. "I understand that as well…But after that, we've one more thing."

"What's that?" asked Steiner.

"We must catch Haldan! We have to find out where he is. I'd ask my Tantalus brothers to help me, but right now we can't afford to us them. I need both of you to bring me the best spies that we have."

Beatrix saluted her prince consort. "It shall be done, Zidane."

Steiner returned the gesture. "Yes, it shall be done."

Once again, Zidane nodded. "Thank you…but you don't need to salute me."

"Excuse me," the voice of Doctor Tot began, as he stood outside the doorway; "am I interrupting something important?"

Zidane smiled. "No, Doctor, the important business has already been discussed. Please come in."

Doctor Tot returned the smile. "Thank you."

"So…Doctor…did you find out what's wrong with Dagger?"

The doctor kept his smile. "Yes."

"Well, what is it?"

"Before I answer that question let me begin by stating, 'congratulations, Zidane!'"

"…Huh?"

Doctor Tot chuckled. "Zidane, the queen's pregnant."

Everyone in the room gasped.

But no one seemed to gasp as much as Zidane. "What!"

Doctor Tot laughed. "Yes, new fathers often act that way. I was like that when my son was born…"

"Doctor Tot, I didn't know that you had children," interjected Steiner.

Doctor Tot nodded. "Yes, one son-one daughter. I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, however. Especially after me and my wife separated…They're pretty much grown now…But why're we talking about me? Today's a day to talk about Zidane and Garnet."

Everyone turned to Zidane.

"…I'm speechless."

That response brought out a laugh.

"_Yeah, I'm speechless all right, but I'm worried about Dagger. I remember being around pregnant women and their mood swings. I'm happy, of course, but I fear this letter. I have to let Dagger read it, because I can't keep information from her. Not only's she the queen, she's also my wife! But I worry that it might put her under too much stress, which'll harm the baby."_

* * *

"So…even though we won we still kind of lost?" replied Garnet. 

Zidane nodded and sat in a chair. "In a sense Haldan has claimed a moral victory over us."

Garnet sat in Zidane's lap, and turned to him. "What do you think we should do?"

Zidane placed his hands on Garnet's pregnant—but still un-showing—belly. "I told Beatrix and Steiner what we should do earlier. But we await your approval."

"What're they?"

"That we need to increase our security for a possible attack. I requested that security be increased not only for us—but for the Castle and city of Alexandria itself. I also requested that we send out spies to capture Haldan."

Garnet nodded. "I approve of everything so far."

"But that's not all."

"What else's there?"

"We have to pay off our reparations immediately!"

"But, Zidane, we don't…"

Zidane patted her backside. "Please get up for a moment."

Garnet did as Zidane requested.

Zidane motioned her over to her dresser, and held up her earrings. "We can give these."

"Zidane, no! Those're my family's jewels!"

Zidane nodded. "I understand how you feel, Dagger. But believe me, we don't have a choice. If we don't pay off this debt now, Haldan'll use it to bring more people over to his cause. Not just people in Alexandria, but also people in Lindblum and Burmecia."

"Impossible! Uncle Cid and Freya would never allow anyone to fight against us!"

"No, they wouldn't. But that doesn't really matter. Regent Cid can't control the desires of everyone in his kingdom. Freya may be one of the most respected knights in Burmecia, but she's not like Beatrix or Steiner. She's not a general, and she's not a captain…The fact of the matter is that we've to create a safe Alexandria…Both for the living, and for those who're not yet born."

"Like our baby?"

Zidane smiled and nodded. "Yes, like our baby."


	9. A Moment of Bliss

**Author's Note:** Greetings everyone! Sorry that it's been a while again, but last week was a bitch. Nevertheless, I have another chapter up—and it looks to be the longest one that I have written in a while; so I hope that all of you will continue to read and review!

_The old ones speak of winter.  
The young ones praise the sun.  
And time just slips away.  
Running into nowhere,  
turning like a wheel,  
and a year becomes a day.  
Whenever we dream,  
that's where we fly.  
So here is a dream,  
for just you and I.  
We'll find the sacred heart.  
It's somewhere bleeding in the night.  
Run for the light.  
And find the sacred heart_—

"Sacred Heart"—Ronnie James Dio

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter IX**

Five months passed since the day Zidane received Haldan's letter, and during that time news was very quiet. Haldan's presence had not been felt among the Alexandrian citizens. And because Zidane and Garnet felt secure, they decided to visit Regent Cid.

"Dagger!" exclaimed Eiko, when Garnet and Zidane arrived. "Look at you!"

Garnet blushed, and rubbed her hand over her very pregnant belly. "What do you mean, Eiko?"

Eiko smiled. "You look so radiant!"

And she turned to Zidane. "Zidane, you'd better tell Dagger how radiant she is! …Because a pregnant woman has these days when she feels fat and ugly."

Garnet smiled, and turned to Zidane. "Eiko's certainly a smart girl for her age, isn't she, Zidane?"

Zidane returned the smile. "Of course she is! We've known that since we first met her!"

Zidane placed his arms around Garnet, and looked at Eiko. "And there isn't a day that has gone by where I haven't told Dagger how beautiful she is!"

Zidane kissed Garnet's temple.

But Eiko placed her hands on Garnet's belly.

"Eiko, what're you doing?" asked Garnet.

Eiko responded by placing an ear on the belly. "I'm trying to hear the baby…I think it's a boy."

Garnet chuckled. "It could be a girl."

"No, it's a boy…He kicked…I bet that makes Zidane all happy; knowing he's going to have a boy!"

Zidane chuckled. "Well, Eiko, we don't know what the baby's going to be…"

"But you want it to be a boy, don't you?" Eiko replied with a look.

Zidane continued to chuckle. "I just want it to be healthy, that's all…I don't care if it's a girl or a boy."

But Eiko kept her look.

"Well," continued Zidane, "it's going to be a while before dinner, so I thought I'd visit the Theater District, and hang out with the Tantalus boys for a while…Maybe I'll have something to eat at the pub I used to visit since I heard it's been rebuilt…I just hope some of the old patrons're there."

Cid nodded. "Of course! Enjoy yourself! This is your first time away in a while from your royal duties."

"Uncle Cid?"

"Yes, Garnet?"

"Would it be all right if the members of Tantalus joined us for dinner? …I haven't seen them in a while."

"Certainly! That can be arranged."

Zidane smiled. "Thank you, Regent Cid…Well, I'm off for a while. I'll be back in a couple of hours."

And Zidane gave a goodbye kiss to Garnet before he left the castle.

* * *

When Zidane entered his former home, his first response was, "Hey, everyone! I'm home!" 

The members turned and gasped.

"Well, if prince charming himself hasn't come to visit us!" replied Baku, while he placed an arm around Zidane. "Welcome home, my boy!"

Zidane smiled. "Thanks, Boss…It's good to be home again."

Tantalus hugged their former member.

"So what're you doing in Lindblum?" asked Cinna.

"Dagger and I decided to visit Regent Cid. We haven't seen him in a while."

"The same goes for you too, Zidane," replied Blank with a smile. "Or perhaps I should call you, 'Mr. New Dad!'"

Zidane laughed. "Well, the baby won't be born for another two months."

"I can't see you changing your kid's diapers," responded Marcus.

"Eh, I don't think Zidane'll have to worry about that," said Baku. "I understand that royals hire nurses for their kids."

"We discussed that actually," replied Zidane; "and we decided that we didn't want to do that…If necessary we'll have a babysitter."

"So, Zidane," began Cinna, "you want it to be a boy, don't you?"

Blank laughed. "Yeah, it'll be a blonde haired boy with blue eyes and a tail that's going to be a better thief than his father."

Zidane smiled. "Well, he might have dark hair and eyes; and possibly he'll have a summoner horn too…That is, if it's a boy…Of course he or she may not've a tail either."

Marcus chuckled. "You don't have to say 'she' or 'girl,' Zidane. We know that you want it to be a boy."

Zidane kept his smile. "Hey, now, I never said that!"

But the Tantalus members shot Zidane a look that was similar to Eiko's.

"Anyway, I came by here because I wanted to ask you guys two questions. First, would you like to join us at the Regent's for dinner? Second, would you like to come with me for some lunch and a drink at the old pub we used to visit?"

"Yeah, I'm up for that!" said Blank.

"Same here!" replied Marcus.

"You can count me in!" added Cinna.

"Well, now," began Baku, "it wouldn't be like the old days if the boss didn't come along, so I'm coming too!"

* * *

While Zidane and Tantalus chatted through the streets of Lindblum, a moderately tall man—with dark hair and eyes—glared at Zidane as he walked past him. Zidane turned, but the man continued to walk by. Zidane did notice that the man was armed with a broad sword, and some light armor under his clothes. 

"Is something wrong, Zidane?" asked Cinna.

"Yeah…that guy shot me a look as he walked by…I was hoping that he'd turn around, so I could confront him."

"I don't think I've ever see him before," replied Cinna.

"Neither have I," responded Blank.

"I have," added Marcus.

"Where at?" asked Baku.

"Yeah, where at?" glared Zidane.

"At the pub."

"The one we're going to?" continued Zidane.

"No, a different one."

"What's his name?"

"I don't know. He doesn't stay in the pub for very long."

Zidane said nothing.

"Well, I don't think we should worry about it," replied Blank. "Let's just head to the pub."

The rest of Tantalus nodded, and made their way to the Industrial District.

* * *

Although over two years had passed since Queen Brahne attacked Lindblum—and destroyed the Industrial District—the area had slowly rebuilt, but repairs were still being made. The bar that Zidane used to visit had been rebuilt, but some of the staff and patrons that Zidane had befriended lost their lives that day. 

Zidane purchased drinks for himself, his brothers, and the bar owner—whom he was familiar with from his days as a citizen of Lindblum.

"So," began Cinna, while he took a large gulp of his beer, "what's the latest on Haldan?"

Zidane took a drink. "Not much, he's been silent for the last five months."

"Maybe he's faded away," replied Marcus.

"It's possible…But I really wonder."

"Why's that?" asked Blank.

"Because we haven't caught him. I'd feel much better if we captured him."

"Has he been recruiting more people?" asked Baku.

Zidane took another drink. "In Alexandria the answer's, no. Outside of Alexandria, I really don't know."

"You should've hired us," added Baku.

"We couldn't do that. We had to sell off Dagger's jewels—and some of our royal treasures—to pay off the reparations."

Baku nodded. "We're always willing to help you, Zidane…But even we need a little bit of money. We'd charge you a discount…But we'd still have to charge you."

Zidane returned the nod. "I understand that, Boss…Well, let's have a few more drinks and then go to the castle."

* * *

When Zidane returned with Tantalus to the castle, Garnet was quick to meet and greet everyone. However, the members gasped when they saw Garnet. Her belly was huge. And sometimes when the members talked to her, their eyes would turn to her belly. Garnet would smile and point to her face; to remind the members of what was and what was not her face. Despite her politeness, she secretly hated the stares. They made her feel fat. 

Dinner was a hearty one—plenty of meats, vegetables, and drinks. After dinner Zidane, Garnet, Tantalus, Regent Cid, Hilda, Eiko, and Minister Artania relaxed in the castle's master room. Garnet reclined on Zidane's lap.

"Your Majesty!" a guard shouted, while he knocked on the door.

"Yes? What is it, Bryce?"

"I have an urgent message for Queen Garnet and Prince Zidane."

Garnet left Zidane's lap.

And Zidane left his chair as well. "Let the man enter."

Regent Cid nodded, and opened the door for the guard to enter.

The guard bowed to Regent Cid, Lady Hilda, Eiko, and Artania, before he turned to Garnet and Zidane.

"Yes?" began Garnet. "What's the message?"

"Alexandria's under attack!"

"What!" replied Zidane.


	10. A Conquered Alexandria

**Author's Notes:** Hey, everyone! I'm early with the updates today, and I wanted to add that I appreciate the feedback that I've received so far. I don't know if you guys received this email or not, but I received one about adding stories to a C2 section of _Five Star Final Fantasy_. I submitted what I had written so far, but it apparently wasn't good enough to make the cut. Not sure why, but it wasn't. So there! They have spoken! Nevertheless, please keep your feedback coming guys!

_We'll know for the first time.  
If we're evil or divine,  
we're the last in line_—

"The Last in Line"—Ronnie James Dio

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter X**

At dawn two men—of nearly identical height—walked through the halls of Alexandria Castle. One of the men had dark hair and eyes, while the other had blonde hair and green eyes. Their swords and armor were stained with a combination of ash, dirt, and blood.

"You're truly amazing, Haldan," the blonde headed man said. "I can't believe we were able to take Alexandria so quickly and so successfully. You certainly knew when to strike."

"That's because life's a game of luck, Mortimer. It was by the power of luck that I happened to walk through Lindblum's Theater District and see the Prince Consort…I was certain that if he was away the queen'd either be with him or be caught off guard without his influence around…It just so happens that my first assumption was correct…Have you learning anything more about the whereabouts of Captain Steiner or General Beatrix?"

"No, I'm afraid not. We haven't found any sign of them yet—dead or alive."

Haldan nodded. "I really don't care if Beatrix's dead, but I wouldn't mind seeing Captain Steiner again."

Haldan stopped to grin. He pointed at the large portrait of Queen Brahne. "Look at this."

"Look at what?"

"This portrait of Queen Brahne, I swear that the queen must've put on a hundred pounds during my stay in the military…I remember that I used to tell some of the guys in the Knights of Pluto—when we were far enough away from Captain Steiner—that if Alexandria ever had an earthquake it probably originated from the Castle."

Mortimer chuckled. "It's hard to believe that someone as fat as Queen Brahne had such a beautiful daughter."

"That's simple; she didn't."

"…What! …What do you mean?"

Haldan smiled. "Simple, Queen Garnet isn't the daughter of Queen Brahne."

"What! How do you know that!"

Haldan chuckled. "I learned a lot of interesting things in the military. Things that I wasn't supposed to know…Things in fact that most of Alexandria doesn't even know."

"Then how do you know?"

"By being at the wrong place at the wrong time and not getting caught."

Mortimer chuckled. "Okay, tell me the story."

Haldan nodded. "Certainly…Twelve years ago the legitimate daughter of the king and queen, Princess Garnet, died from a tragic illness. The queen was overcome with grief over the loss of her daughter, but it just so happened that—at the same time—a boat washed to the shores of Alexandria. Inside the boat were a little girl and her mother. Her mother was dead, and the girl—with a face full of tears—was taken to the Castle. This young girl was the same age—and had a similar appearance—to the recently deceased Princess Garnet, with one exception."

"What's that?"

"The girl had a horn—similar to the one that the adopted daughter of Regent Cid and Lady Hilda, Eiko, has. The king ordered for the horn to be cut, and the girl became the adopted daughter of the king and queen, with only those in the royal inner circle knowing anything about it…The current Queen Garnet you see today is that girl that was washed to the shores of Alexandria twelve years ago."

Haldan paused when he reached the doors of the royal chamber. After he opened them, he stated, "I suppose we could say that the current queen's illegitimate."

Mortimer added to Haldan's point when he entered the newest room that had been added to the royal chamber—a nursery. "I suppose then that the same holds true for the queen and prince's expectant child?"

"…Sort of."

"Sort of! …What do you mean, 'sort of'?"

"Even if all of Alexandria knew the truth about Garnet's origins that doesn't mean it'd necessarily make a difference."

"…Explain?"

"It's not always who's right by bloodline. Sometimes it's who has the most powerful army in the end."

Mortimer chuckled. "Well, you've taken care of that."

"At least for now…I'm certain that the queen'll launch a counterattack…Chances are she'll receive aid from Regent Cid."

"So what do we do?"

"We guard the city. Then we win the support of the citizens. That way, if Garnet launches a counterattack, we'll have the support of the people."

"But how're we going to do that? Alexandria was actually able to pay off its debt without raising anymore taxes. We can't use that line of rhetoric anymore."

"Not necessarily, the people're probably still a little upset over the taxes during the time they were in effect. Plus, what if the truth about Garnet's legitimacy was made known to them?"

"…Do you think they'd care?"

"If they value the traditional bloodline then, yes."

Mortimer smirked. "But you're not part of the traditional bloodline, Haldan."

Haldan returned with a grin. "It doesn't matter…I have the standing army, remember?"


	11. The Aftermath

**Author's Note: **Hey everyone, I just wanted to thank everyone for all the reviews of last chapter. Please keep them coming! This chapter will be one of my longer ones, and will answer some of the questions about how Haldan was able to take Alexandria.

_After the war, what does a soldier become?_—

"The Aftermath"—Iron Maiden

**A Time of Peace. A Time of War**

**Chapter XI**

"What! How did this happen!" exclaimed Garnet.

"_This isn't good," _replied Zidane. "_Dagger's in a very delicate position, and too much stress isn't good for the baby_…Calm down, Dagger."

"But, Zidane, it's our kingdom!"

"I know what it is, but I also know that you're pregnant, and that's why I'm asking you to remain calm—for the baby's sake."

Garnet nodded and took a deep breath.

Zidane smiled. "Good."

Then Zidane turned the messenger. "What can you tell us, sir?"

"Not very much, I'm afraid. The message was transmitted to us from Weimar of the Knights of Pluto."

"What about Steiner and Beatrix?" asked Garnet.

"Weimar stated that they were fighting with everything they had to protect Alexandria, and that they asked you not to return to Alexandria until they sent word it was safe."

"That's not going to happen."

"To a point anyway," replied Zidane. "I'll return to Alexandria, but you remain here, Dagger."

"I don't think so! Those're my people! I have to be there!"

Zidane nodded. "I know, but you're seven months pregnant, and…"

"Damn it, Zidane, stop telling me that! I'm aware that I'm seven months pregnant! I'm not stupid. So will you please stop talking to me as though I were a child!"

"You're being reckless…"

"I'm being reckless? What about you? You've got a baby coming in two months, and yet you want to run off and play hero!"

"That's enough, both of you!" replied Cid. "The fact is, is that it'd be foolish to rush in too quickly. We don't know anything about what we're up against."

"Except that it's probably Haldan," said Zidane.

Cid nodded. "Most definitely, but how many people're in his army?"

Zidane crossed his arms, and lowered his eyes to the floor. "I don't know. We haven't heard anything from him in five months."

"Five months is long enough to build an army," replied Baku.

"Yes, but where did he get his men or women from?" asked Garnet. "His voice has been silent in Alexandria."

"That doesn't really matter, Dagger," said Eiko. "What matters is that Haldan's defeated."

Zidane nodded. "Agreed…but what I still can't figure out is…how was he able to take the city—let alone, the Castle?"

"Which is exactly why it'd be foolish to march into Alexandria without knowing our enemy," responded Cid. "Which is why we should wait for some word from either Captain Steiner or General Beatrix."

Zidane paused. "And what if we don't receive word from either of them?"

"Zidane!" exclaimed Garnet.

"Sorry, Dagger, but this is a war! …I don't like to think about it much either, but it can still happen."

Cid nodded. "If that happens then I'll send spies into Alexandria to gather information."

"Uncle Cid…you really don't have to do this."

Cid smiled. "Always considerate, aren't you, Garnet? But Lindblum and Alexandria're allies. Plus, I'm still your Uncle Cid, and that makes me want to help you."

Garnet returned the smile. "Thank you."

Cid turned to his guests. "I think it'd be best if we turned in for the night. We'll discuss our strategy in the morning…And I pray that we'll receive word from both Steiner and Beatrix."

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, Steiner and Beatrix—along with their soldiers—arrived in Lindblum through the underground gargant. Their swords and armor were mixed with a combination of blood, dirt, and ash. Plus, they had been wounded—Steiner in the shoulder, Beatrix on the arm. A question was proposed to them of waking up the queen and prince consort, but they refused. They stated that when the queen and prince consort woke up to tell them that they were safe, and that they would tell them everything they wanted to know.

* * *

Early that afternoon Zidane, Garnet, Cid, Hilda, and Eiko embraced Steiner and Beatrix in the conference room. Steiner and Beatrix had their wounds bandaged, and they were a rare sight for the members in the conference room—Steiner and Beatrix did not wear their armor. 

"I just want to say, again, that I'm glad that the two of you—along with your soldiers—made it out safely," said Zidane. "Dagger and I intend to speak with the soldiers as soon as the meeting's over. But now I have to ask you, what happened?"

"It was my fault, Your Majesty," Steiner began, before Garnet gestured a hand.

"Stop blaming yourself! If anyone's at fault, it's me. I'm the commander of Alexandria's military forces."

"_This is the strongest I've ever seen Dagger,"_ replied Zidane. "_But she can't place the entire burden on herself_…I think some of the blame can fall on me as well."

"Zidane…"

"We let our guard down…all of us…We became too secure, and well…"

Cid nodded. "I'm sure it's safe to say there's plenty of blame to go around. But let's not worry about that right now. What we need to know is, how was Haldan able to take the city?"

"Let alone the Castle," added Zidane.

Beatrix sighed. "The city was taken be surprise."

"Even with all the troops?" replied Garnet.

Steiner nodded. "Yes, Your Majesty, even with all the troops…Haldan's a much better commander than I thought."

"So how was he able to break through?"

"Canon fire."

"Canon fire?" responded Zidane.

Beatrix nodded. "Yes, canon fire. Haldan had a pair of canons. I don't know where he got them, but he had them nevertheless. The first blast destroyed the wall by the gate, and caught the troops off guard. The second blast only added to the confusion."

"…Were many civilians hurt?" asked Garnet.

"We did our best to lead them to safety," replied Steiner. "But Alexandria's a large city, so…I don't know if we were able to rescue everybody."

Garnet nodded. "How many men did Haldan have?"

"We're not sure."

"Can you give us an estimate?" asked Zidane.

Steiner and Beatrix pondered on that question, before Steiner answered, "I'd say around maybe three hundred."

"Now wait a second, I could understand three hundred men and women taking over the city, but the city and the Castle…How were they able to get across the moat? There were archers on the Castle towers, were there not?"

"Yes."

"And they were wearing heavy armor, correct?"

"Yes."

"Which means they couldn't swim across?"

"Yes."

"Wait," interjected Garnet, "what about the Red Rose?"

"We were never able to use it, Your Majesty," replied Beatrix. "And currently it's in Haldan's possession."

"But regardless of which…how in the hell were they able to break through the Castle's defenses!"

Beatrix sighed. "Well, this is going to shock you…"

"It'd have to shock me!"

"They used an eidolon," responded Steiner.

"A what!" exclaimed Garnet and Eiko.

"Now wait a minute," began Zidane, "I thought that with the exception of Eiko, Dagger, and our future baby, there aren't anymore summoners…Isn't that right, Eiko?"

"Yes, as far as I know…But wait…I always thought that I was the last of my tribe, until I met Dagger a few years ago…So maybe there is somebody else."

"Well, if there is, then this person would've had a summoner horn…Did you see a summoner horn?"

"I didn't see anyone with a horn," replied Beatrix.

"Neither did I," added Steiner.

"Then is it possible to summon eidolons without a summoner's horn?"

"Zidane!" began Garnet. "Have you forgotten?"

"…Oh, that's right…I can't believe how stupid I am!"

"But wait!" added Cid. "Kuja summoned an eidolon to attack Alexandria, and he didn't extract eidolons like Brahne did."

"No, but he was from another planet," replied Zidane. "I suppose the question should be asked, is it possible for a person to summon eidolons from this planet, and not extract them from someone else?"

"…It is," replied Eiko.

"How so?"

"If someone possesses a jewel—similar to the ones me and Dagger have—and has learned the rites of summoning then, yes; it's very possible."

"Were there other summoner jewels in Madain Sari?" asked Garnet.

"I don't know, maybe."

"Then perhaps it'd be wise if we investigated Madain Sari," replied Cid.

After Regent Cid finished his statement, Bryce—the guard—knocked on the door. "Excuse me, Your Majesty?"

"Yes, what is it, Bryce?"

"Stiltzkin, the moogle, has brought a letter for Lady Eiko. He says that it's urgent."

"Urgent?" replied Eiko.

"Please bring the letter,"responded Cid.

Bryce brought Eiko the letter and left the conference room.

Eiko read the letter and gasped.

"What is it, Eiko?" began Garnet. "Is something wrong?"

"…This is terrible!"

"Why? What has happened?" asked Cid.

"Moco," Eiko said in a raspy voice

"Moco?" replied Garnet. "Isn't he the moogle that guarded the Eidolon Wall?"

Eiko began to cry. "Moco's dead!"

"What!" exclaimed Zidane and Garnet.

Eiko continued to cry, and she handed the letter to Zidane.

* * *

_Eiko, I don't know how to put this to you—I really don't; and it's hard for all of us to accept too. But yesterday, Moco was killed by two men. One was a light haired man, and the other was a dark headed man. Moco was brave! He died fulfilling his duty—defending the Eidolon Wall. I don't know how busy you are in Lindblum, but we wish you would come home._

_Please come home soon,_

_Morrison_

* * *

"…This letter was written some time ago," added Zidane. "Who knows exactly how long? …What do you think?" 

"I think I need to go home to Madain Sari!" replied Eiko. "I have too!"

Zidane nodded, and placed his hands on Eiko's shoulders. "And we'll come with you!"

Garnet also placed a hand on Eiko's shoulder. "Yes, we will!"


	12. Sad Homecoming

**Author's Note:** Greetings everyone! I want to say thanks again for the feedback. And in this chapter I wanted to point out that I will not have every single moogle that lives in Madain Sari involved in the chapter, because I'm sure someone will ask the question, "Where are all the other moogles?" Other than that, please continue to read and review!

_Welcome home, it's been too long; we missed you.  
Welcome home, we've opened up the gates.  
__Welcome home, to your brothers and sister.  
Welcome home, to an accident of birth_—

"Accident of Birth"—Bruce Dickinson

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter XII**

Eiko sighed as she entered Madain Sari. It had been a while since she returned home. But today was a sad homecoming.

"I'm home," Eiko said, but not with the same joy as normal.

"Lady Eiko!" shouted Morrison, as he flew towards her. "You're here! …I didn't think you'd come…And you brought Zidane, Dagger, Regent Cid, Lady Hilda, Captain Steiner, and General Beatrix…From what I can tell Miss Dagger looks to be with child."

"What do you mean she 'looks to be with child'! Can't you tell when a woman's pregnant?"

"Uh, no, I didn't mean that…"

Eiko smiled. "Thank you, Morrison. I needed that."

"Needed what?"

"Someone to say something stupid…It helps me remember the good times here…Please tell me what happened to Moco?"

Morrison nodded. "It happened two weeks ago, but…"

"Two weeks ago? I only learned about it yesterday, and it happened two weeks ago! …Just what the hell's going on!"

Morrison sighed. "I'm sorry; I guess that explains why it took you so long to arrive. I guess the reason why it took you so long to receive my letter is that Mognet must be having problems."

"…Yeah, I guess so!"

"…Look, why don't we go over to your house and talk about what happened there? Lani's there, and she can help explain what happened as well."

Eiko nodded, and she and the party followed Morrison.

* * *

For the last two years, Lani—the would be assassin hired by Queen Brahne to kill then Princess Garnet—has been living a life of seclusion. Only briefly has she visited the Mist Continent since living in Madain Sari. The last time was around the time that Zidane returned to Alexandria. 

"Hello, Eiko," she began with a warm smile. "And hello as well to Zidane, Garnet, Captain Steiner, General Beatrix, Regent Cid, Lady Hilda, and Morrison!"

Lani paused to examine Garnet's belly. "I heard a rumor that the Queen of Alexandria was pregnant, but I guess seeing truly is believing…Why don't I fix all of you a drink?"

Zidane smirked. "This is quite interesting. You go from wanting to chop our heads off with your blade to becoming a homemaker."

Lani returned the smirk. "Similar to how you've gone from being a thief to making babies."

Everyone laughed at Zidane, and Garnet kissed his cheek.

When Lani returned with the party's drinks, Zidane noticed a large scar underneath her chin. "Where'd you get that?"

"Huh?"

Zidane pointed underneath his chin.

"Oh, that, well…that's going to involve the incident about what happened to Moco."

"So what happened?" asked Eiko.

Lani took a sip of wine. "Two weeks ago, Morrison charged into the house looking for me. He said that Moco was in need of some help. Isn't that how you remembered it, Morrison?"

Morrison nodded. "Yes, it is. Two armed men were observing the Eidolon Wall, and were apparently going to enter it. Moco asked me to get Lani, because he believed that he'd need her help."

Garnet nodded. "So then what happened?"

"I grabbed my axe and headed for the Wall. When I arrived I confronted the two armed men that Morrison mentioned. They were about the same height, although one of the men had dark hair, while the other had light hair. I informed them that, that Wall was sacred ground, and that they couldn't enter.

Their response was to draw their swords, and I drew my axe. But unfortunately I was outnumbered, and they struck me down."

Lani paused, and pointed to her scar. "This scar that I'm left with was the result of that battle. It was an insult for me to lose in such a way…But it was absolutely un-honorable to watch what happened to Moco."

"You watched him get killed!" replied Eiko.

Lani nodded. "From the ground, I did…It was absolutely distasteful. Moco was trying to defend the Wall, but he was unarmed…It would've been more honorable if they'd killed me instead."

"Why didn't the other moogles help him?"

"With what secret weapon?" replied Morrison. "We were unarmed."

"So you just stood by and watched while one of your brothers got killed?"

Morrison said nothing.

"Hmph! I see! Nothing but a bunch of cowards then!"

"Don't get so mad at them, Eiko," responded Lani. "They were unarmed. Someone who's unarmed can't defeat one person, let alone two people with swords!"

"They could if they had courage!"

"That's being a little too reckless, Eiko," replied Regent Cid.

Eiko sighed. "I guess you're right, Father."

And she turned to Morrison. "I'm sorry, Morrison. Do you know what they wanted?"

"They wanted to learn how to summon eidolons."

"I think I'm seeing a pattern here," interjected Zidane. "I wonder if one of those two men didn't work for Haldan, or if one of them wasn't Haldan himself!"

"Hmm," began Steiner, "I haven't seen Haldan in a long time, but I remember that he had dark hair and eyes."

"Which fits the description of one of the men in the story," replied Hilda.

"But which also fits the description of a lot of men on Gaia," added Garnet.

Zidane placed his chin between his thumb and first finger. "Now that you mention it, Steiner's description of Haldan just made me think of something."

"What's that?" asked Garnet.

"I never told you this before, but do you remember the other day when we arrived in Lindblum; and I said I was going to visit the boys in Tantalus?"

"Yes."

"Well, as we were leaving the Theater District I encountered this man who glared at me. I had never met the man before, but he was armed; and he had dark hair and eyes…I wonder if that couldn't have been Haldan!"

"Possible," replied Regent Cid, "but you certainly wouldn't want to accuse everyone you see with dark hair and eyes as Haldan. After all, your wife has dark hair and eyes…"

"But she's also a woman."

Cid sighed. "The point, Zidane, is that it'd be foolish to start a witch hunt over men with dark hair and eyes."

Zidane laughed. "Don't worry, Regent, I understood what you meant…I just thought it was funny that you compared my wife to Haldan."

But Garnet glared. "I don't know where you'd find the humor in that, Zidane."

Zidane blushed. He was embarrassed, and everybody laughed at him, until Beatrix restored the party's focus.

"Wait! I remember Eiko saying something about a jewel being needed to summon. Did either of those two men have one of those?"

"I don't know," replied Morrison.

"Neither do I," added Lani.

"Where would one of those jewels be?" asked Garnet.

"Probably in the storage room behind the house," responded Eiko. "But like I said yesterday, I don't know if there was one there or not."

Lani sighed. "I hate to tell you this, Eiko, but…"

"Yes?"

"But that room was trashed when the attacks took place."

"What! All the mementos of my tribe?"

Lani nodded. "Yes, they were tossed all over that room…But…I did my best to put everything back in place."

"I have to look!"

"We'll go with you," replied Zidane.

* * *

Although Eiko was terrified at what she might find, Lani did wonderful job placing the summoner tribe's relics back to their original location. 

Eiko breathed a sigh of relief. "Everything looks good. Thank you for taking care of our relics."

"You're welcome."

Zidane stared at the relics. "I don't see any sign of a jewel, do you?"

"Again, Zidane, I don't know if there was one here or not."

"But even if there wasn't," began Regent Cid, "it was obvious that's what those two men were looking for."

"How do you know?" asked Zidane.

"Well, Zidane, isn't it obvious? They trashed the storage room, and they were apparently looking for information on summoning. Why wouldn't they be looking for a summoner's jewel?"

"They could've been looking for a book too."

"But none of my books're missing," interjected Eiko.

Hilda sighed. "I think it's certainly debatable to determine what specifically they were searching for, but what we can agree on is that it was related to summoning eidolons."

Everyone in the room nodded. And then, Eiko turned to Lani.

"Lani, where's Maco buried?"

"Near the Eidolon Wall…me and the other moogles thought it'd be an appropriate place."

Eiko nodded. "Please take me there."

* * *

With her friends beside her, Lani directed Eiko to Moco's freshly dug grave. It was a rather simple headstone with the words: 

_Moco  
__Died fulfilling his duty of defending the Eidolon Wall_

Eiko smiled. "I can't cry anymore…Crying won't do any good anyway. But it's just so weird…I've been on this planet for nearly nine years, and my life seems to be full of death—my parents, grandparents, and now Moco."

"But there's also life too," replied Hilda, while she placed her arms on Eiko's shoulders.

"Try to think about the good times, Eiko," Zidane said, "not only with Moco, but with all of us too!"

"Our trip together was certainly a fun time," added Garnet. "And I think it'll be a fun time when the baby's born. It'll be carrying on the lineage of the summoner tribe."

Eiko smiled. "It won't be fun for you, Dagger! You won't enjoy enduring all the labor pains, until he finally pops out!"

"Or her," added Zidane with a smile.  
"Shut up, Zidane!"

Everyone laughed at Zidane, and Zidane laughed at himself.

After the laughter was over, Zidane grabbed Garnet's hand and asked, "So, what do we do now?"

"We return to Lindblum," replied Cid.

"And then what?"

"We await the return of my report."

"Report?" asked Garnet.

Cid nodded. "Yes, report. I sent spies into Alexandria before we left. It'll let us know the situation there."


	13. Alexandria Infiltrated

_Hear the cry of war,  
__louder than before.  
With his sword in hand,  
to control the land.  
Crushing metal strikes,  
on this frightening night.  
Fall onto your knees,  
for the Phantom Lord_—

"Phantom Lord"—Metallica

**A Time of Peace. A Time of War**

**Chapter XIII**

The day after Zidane and his party returned to Lindblum, Regent Cid's two spies prepared a report. And early that afternoon, a meeting was held in the conference room with the two spies and Zidane, Garnet, Steiner, Beatrix, Eiko, and Regent Cid.

"Everyone," began Regent Cid, "this is Ayden and Thor. They're the spies I sent into Alexandria."

Ayden and Thor bowed to everyone in the room, and the party returned the bow.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," replied Garnet. "I want to thank you for your courage in investigating Alexandria. Now, can you tell me how the citizens're doing?"

Thor nodded. "Although some businesses and homes were damaged—along with the front gate—from what we understood there wasn't any loss of civilian life…Great praise must be given to your military, Queen Garnet!"

Garnet smiled. "Yes, I am always proud of the courage and reliability shown by the troops of Alexandria."

"How many men does Haldan have in his military?" asked Zidane.

"We're not completely sure," replied Ayden.

"Can you give us an estimate?" asked Steiner.

The spies paused.

And Thor responded. "I'd say that within the city itself there's probably at least a hundred or more troops."

"What about the Castle?" added Zidane.

"We don't know," answered Ayden. "The Castle's absolutely off limits. We were unable to infiltrate it."

Zidane nodded. "Understood…Well, I seem to remember Steiner saying that after the first attack, Haldan had at least three hundred troops…"

"That was merely a guess."

Zidane nodded again. "I know that, but we have to work with something."

"But if what you're saying's right," added Beatrix, "then there's at least two hundred soldiers inside the Castle."

"Regardless of which," began Regent Cid, "how do we know that Haldan hasn't increased his army in the last couple of days?"

"That's a possibility," replied Thor. "Haldan has tried to win the people over to his side."

"By doing what?" asked Garnet.

"Propaganda, what else!"

"What kind of propaganda?"

"Two things…First, he's trying to tell the people that their queen wanted to tax them into poverty, due to her own family's lust for tyrannical power. Second, he's trying to tell the people that their queen's illegitimate."

"Illegitimate?"

Ayden nodded. "Yes, he's trying to spread propaganda that Queen Garnet isn't really Queen Brahne's child; and, therefore, has no right to the throne."

The party was silent, but did their best not to show any emotion.

"_This may not be good,"_ replied Zidane. "_If they learn about Dagger's true origins they may question their loyalty to her_…It's kind of funny though, you know?"

"What is?" asked Thor.

"Haldan's questioning Dagger's legitimacy to the throne, but what about his own legitimacy?"

Thor chuckled. "That's a good point, Your Highness…"

"Just 'Zidane,' please?"

Thor nodded. "Anyway, that's a good point, Zidane, but sometimes that doesn't really matter."

"What do you mean?"

"May I answer that for him?" interjected Regent Cid.

"Of course, Your Majesty."

"Thank you. What Thor means, Zidane, is that sometimes it doesn't really matter who has a valid bloodline to the throne. Sometimes it's who has the most powerful army that matters."

Zidane nodded. "_I understand all of that, but I wouldn't want Dagger to rule just because she has the power to force her will on the people. I'd rather have the people be loyal to her, because they want to_...Well, let me ask you this, how're the people taking to this propaganda?"

"Among those we talked to, the general feeling is that the people've forgotten about the taxes, because they know that Queen Garnet paid them off by selling her own possessions. However, at the same time, they'd like someone to assist them in rebuilding their businesses and homes. Haldan hasn't done that yet—and chances are—he probably won't."

"In terms of gil, how much damage has been done?" asked Garnet.

"Well…I'm not really an expert on that…What about you, Ayden?"

"I'm not either…Do you mean just the city, the Castle, or both?"

"Just the city."

"Hmm…well, I'd say then around 25,000 gil."

Zidane breathed a sigh of relief. "That means that damage to the city wasn't too severe…But wait! We'd more than that amount of money in the treasury, didn't we, Dagger?"

Garnet nodded. "Yes."

"Which means that Haldan could use that money to pay the citizens, and thus increase his own popularity!"

"He could, but I doubt that he will," responded Thor.

"What makes you think so?"

"I don't know Haldan very well, but I think he's a smart commander. Because of this, he's probably sure that Garnet'll counterattack. And because of that, he must use his resources for military spending."

"But he could also try to sell off some of Alexandria's goods for money," Beatrix said.

"And who's he going to do that with?" replied Regent Cid. "I don't recognize him as head of state and neither does Burmecia."

"Everyone has made some good points so far," Steiner said, "but I'd like to know, what do the citizens think about Haldan's message questioning the queen's legitimacy to the throne?"

"Most people we talked to," responded Ayden, "weren't really buying Haldan's propaganda, but at the same time they were uncertain about Garnet."

"Uncertain?" replied Garnet.

Ayden nodded. "Yes, they're not certain if you can protect them."

"Protect them?"

"Yes."

"…I don't understand…"

"But I think I do," interjected Regent Cid. "As a queen you're the head of a family—similar to how a priest is the head of his spiritual family and thus called, 'Father.' To the citizens of Alexandria, you're a mother; and a mother's one who comforts her children and protects them…And in the eyes of some Alexandrians you failed to do that."

"But how did I fail them?"

"In their eyes, it was the incident where Bahamut attacked the city; and this recent attack only adds to their fear," replied Thor.

"Now wait a minute," began Zidane, "there's plenty of blame to go around all of us on this second attack, but its unfair to blame Dagger for the first attack of two years ago. If people want to blame anyone for that attack, they can blame Kuja."

Thor nodded. "That may be, but the fact is that's how they feel about it…But at the same time, I think that if you can make that message known to them, they'll understand."

Zidane returned the nod. "When all of this is over, we'll have a public conference with the people; but I still have one more question to ask you."

"What's that?"

"Do you know who in Haldan's army summoned the eidolon?"

"…No."

"Do you know which eidolon it was?"

"…No."

Zidane nodded, and turned to Garnet. "Do you think they know about Alexander?"

"I don't know…But I certainly hope not!"

Eiko turned to the floor. "If Alexander's summoned then we may've a duel between eidolons."

Zidane paused. "We'll pray that, that doesn't happen."

"But what if it does?"

"…Then we'll pray very few lives're lost."

Steiner nodded. "Agreed, but what's our strategy now?"

Zidane placed his chin between his thumb and first finger. "We should locate the members of our old party, and ask them if they'll help us. We'll look for Vivi, Freya, Quina, and Amarant. After that, I'd like to ask Regent Cid if we could have some of Lindblum's troops and airships?"

Cid nodded. "Yes, you may."

Zidane smiled. "Thank you, Regent."


	14. The Calm Before the Storm

_Have you ever felt,  
the future is the past?  
__But you don't know how?  
__A reflected dream of a captured time.  
Is it really now?  
Is it really happening?  
__Don't know why I feel this way.  
Have I dreamt this time, this place?  
__Something vivid comes again into my mind.  
And I think I've seen your face.  
Seen this room.  
Been in this place.  
All my hopes and expectations,  
looking for an explanation.  
Have I found my destination?  
I just can't take no more.  
The dream is true.  
The dream is true.  
The dream is true.  
__The dream is true_—

"Dream of Mirrors"—Iron Maiden

**A Time of Peace. A Time of War**

**Chapter XIV**

At dusk the next day Zidane, Steiner, Beatrix, and Eiko returned with Vivi, Freya, Quina, and Amarant. When the four entered the conference room they gasped at Garnet's belly.

Garnet's reply was to smile, and rub her belly. "What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen a pregnant woman before?"

"Yeah," began Vivi. "It's just weird because the last time I saw you, you weren't pregnant."

Garnet laughed. "Well, things change in a couple of months, Vivi."

Freya chuckled. "So it seems. From what I can tell, you and Zidane have been a little busy!"

"Hmph!" replied Amarant. "I just can't believe that a miniature version of Zidane's going to be wandering around the world!"

Zidane laughed. "Well, maybe you could get together with Lani, have a couple of kids, and then your kids could to battle with mine."

"Lani! The hell would I want with her!"

Zidane continued to laugh, and fell to his knees.

"Amarant," began Regent Cid, "do try to mind your manners. You're in a royal court."

Amarant nodded. "I know where I'm at, Regent Cid, but I also know that if someone asks me a question I give them an honest answer…Besides, I seriously doubt that Zidane asked me to come along here because he cared about my manners. I came along, because Zidane asked me to help…"

"Wait! You're coming along because Zidane asked you to help!" interjected Garnet.

"Yeah…it gets boring being a security guard sometimes."

Garnet chuckled. So did everyone else.

But Freya returned the party to a serious level. "Speaking of help, Zidane, why don't you tell us what our strategy is?"

Zidane nodded. "Before I explain my strategy, I have to ask Regent Cid a question."

"What's that, Zidane?"

"I have to ask you, how many troops can you give us? And how many airships can you give us?"

"You can have as many as you believe it'll be necessary to reclaim Alexandria."

Zidane smiled. "Thank you, Regent…Now then, since that's been said, here's how I see it. We're going to have to fight Haldan on two fronts—the city and the Castle. We'll create a diversion from the air that'll allow our troops—both Alexandrian and Lindblum—to enter the city. These troops'll reclaim the city for us, and'll also make sure that civilians stay out of harms way.

A second group'll be divided into two. One'll attack from the air—that'll eventually land inside the Castle's courtyard—while the other'll attack from Alexandria Harbor."

"Where does summoning Alexander come into play?" asked Eiko.

"Wait!" interjected Freya. "Before you answer that, Zidane, I have a question."

"What's that?"

"Don't you remember what happened the last time Alexander was summoned? Part of the tower fell apart, and you and Dagger were nearly killed!"

"Yeah, but Garland and Kuja were responsible for that."

Eiko nodded. "That's correct. An eidolon always responds to the calls of its master, unless some outside force is able to act against it. Technically, Alexander didn't hurt Alexandria that day; it was the actions of Garland that affected me and Dagger's pendants."

"When would be the appropriate time to summon Alexander?" asked Garnet.

"Whenever we see another eidolon summoned."

"Well," began Zidane, "I think that takes care of everything. Why don't we unwind for a bit? But remember, we begin the re-conquest of Alexandria before daybreak."

"Which means we're not finished," added Garnet.

"Huh?"

"You forgot to mention something crucial, Zidane."

"I did?"

"Yes, who's going to be fighting where tomorrow?"

Zidane gasped. "_Wow! Dagger caught me on that one. She certainly HAS become a much stronger queen since I returned to Alexandria_…Wow! How stupid of me to forget that one!"

"And he's our fearless leader for tomorrow," replied Amarant.

"Hey now! I led the strategy to defeat Kuja, didn't I?"

"Luck!"

Zidane chuckled. "You never change, do you, Amarant?"

The former bounty hunter smiled. "Only when I have to."

Zidane returned the smile. "Well then, I think that Steiner and Beatrix'll have to lead a group of soldiers. I think that Steiner should lead the group of soldiers into Alexandria, and that Vivi should accompany him."

"Okay," responded Vivi.

"And that Beatrix should lead the assault into Alexandria Harbor, and that Freya should accompany her."

Freya nodded. "I'll do my best to assist General Beatrix."

"Finally, I'll lead the attack from the air. And coming with me'll be Amarant, Quina, and Eiko."

"Oh, goodie! Will we get yummy-yummies inside the Castle?"

"I'll keep an eye on you for Dagger," said Eiko.

"Looks like it's two years ago all over again," replied Amarant.

Zidane smiled. "That is, of course, if Dagger approves of my strategy."

Garnet nodded. "You have my support, Prince Consort Zidane Tribal."

Zidane was stunned. "Dagger, you don't have to address me like that!"

But Garnet smiled.

* * *

Zidane and Garnet were in bed early that evening. But Zidane was restless. So was Garnet, but she had managed to fall asleep. For a while, Zidane sat upright in bed. Then finally, he left the covers to stare at the two moons. But his movements woke Garnet. 

"What're you doing?" she asked.

Zidane jumped. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

Garnet giggled. "Caught you off guard again, didn't I?"

Zidane chuckled. "Well…maybe just a little."

Garnet smiled. "So, what're you doing?"

"I'm looking at the two moons."

"The two moons?"

"Yeah."

"What's so special about them?"

"Whenever, I'm restless—or have a lot on my mind—I often stare at them."

"…You're worried about tomorrow, aren't you?"

"Yeah…It's kind of the 'calm before the storm,' you know?"

"…I wish I could go with you."

"I know you do," Zidane added, while he re-entered the bed. "But you know that's impossible."

Zidane massaged his wife's belly, and kissed it.

Garnet ran her fingers through her husband's hair. "What do you think about when you stare at the moons?"

"All kinds of things. I've been doing it for a long time."

"How long?"

"…I really don't know…At least since I was a boy growing up in the Theater District."

"What did you think of then?"

"…I think I thought about the training Baku put me through, and all the boys too…And I thought some about my parents."

"Your parents?"

"Yeah, I wanted to find out who they were, what they were like, etc…"

Zidane lifted his head to Garnet. "Of course, I didn't know how shocked I'd be when I learned the truth."

"You were staring at the two moons the night you came back to Alexandria?"

"…Yeah, I was." And with a smile, he added, "That's why you caught me off guard."

Garnet giggled. "So, what were you thinking that day?"

"I was thinking about where home is for me. I obviously have a home in Lindblum, but on that night, I thought that home was now in Alexandria."

Garnet smiled, and kissed him. "So, what were you thinking about tonight?"

"The past."

"The past?"

"Yeah."

"The past in a good way, I hope?"

Zidane chuckled. "Always!"

"Like what?"

"Well…I thought a lot about growing up here in Lindblum. And hanging out with the Tantalus boys. I thought about the first time we met. I thought about our trip together—but not just us. I thought about Vivi, Steiner, Freya, Eiko, Amarant, Regent Cid, Hilda, and Beatrix. I thought about our wedding day. And I thought about the day that I learned I was going to be a father."

Garnet smiled. "I want all those good days to continue."

Zidane returned the smile. "They will."

Garnet nodded but turned away. "Yes, but…you're having to march off to war tomorrow."

"I don't have a choice."

"I know that, but…I wish I could go with you…to help protect you…Just like you helped protect me."

Zidane kissed her, and ran his fingers through her hair. "Our friends'll protect me, just as I'll protect them. But right now, Dagger, I need you to protect something more important than me."

"What's that?"

"The baby."


	15. Reconquest

**Author's Note:** Hey, everyone! Just a couple of words I wanted to make on this chapter. It's the longest that I've written so far, and there are a lot of breaks in it.Other than that, I ask all of you to continue to read and review!

_Trace your way back fifty years,  
to the glow of Dresden-blood and tears.  
In the black above by the cruel searchlight,  
men will die and men will fight-yeah!  
Who shot who, and who fired first?  
Dripping death to wet the blood thirst.  
No radar lock on skin and bone,  
the bomber boys are going home.  
Climb into the sky never wonder why-tailgunner,  
you're a tailgunner.  
Climb into the sky never wonder why-tailgunner,  
you're a tailgunner_—

"Tailgunner"—Iron Maiden

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter XV**

Before dawn, Garnet cried—as she watched her husband's airship leave Lindblum. It was a deja-vu of sorts. Two years ago, Garnet was on board the Hilda Garde III when it took off, and left Zidane behind near the Lifa Tree. Now on board that same ship, Zidane did his best not to cry, while he waved goodbye to his wife.

"You're reminding me of exactly two years ago," Eiko said.

Zidane turned.

"That's exactly how Dagger was when we left you near the Lifa Tree that day…But I told Dagger on our way back to Alexandria, 'It'll be all right, Dagger. Zidane'll come back…'And you did."

Zidane nodded, and in a raspy voice replied, "I know…But…just watching Dagger cry kind of bothered me."

"I can't believe this!" replied Amarant. "He's doubting his own mission!"

Zidane's voice was no longer coarse. "I'm not doubting anything! I just got a little emotional. Get a girl and you'll know what I mean!"

"Hmph!" responded Amarant, as he turned away from Zidane.

"Anyway…it's time for me to lead this mission!"

* * *

As the ships approached Alexandria, Zidane was in radio contact with Captain Steiner. 

"Steiner?"

"Yes, Zidane?"

"Make sure to land the ship near the mountains. It's far enough away where Haldan can't see it, and then march your troops toward the city. When you hear our canons fire you'll know to begin the attack."

"Don't worry, Zidane. I will not fail you!"

"Thank you…How far're you away from the city?"

"…About twenty minutes."

"Okay, thanks."

* * *

At the same time, Zidane was in contact with General Beatrix._  
_"Beatrix, how far're you away from the Harbor?" 

"…I'd say we're about twenty minutes away. We're going to fly a good distance away from the Castle, and then low behind the mountains. How far away's Steiner?"

"He told me about the same distance. This is great, because we'll be able to attack at nearly the same time!"

"When should we begin our attack?"

"…As soon as you hear our canons fire."

* * *

After Haldan's conquest of Alexandria he had placed a telescope on one of the Castle's towers. And on this morning, a lookout spotted four battleships that were part of Zidane's direct attack squad. He could also tell that the ships were from Lindblum. 

"Holy shit!" he gasped. "Haldan!"

And he ran off to Haldan's chamber.

* * *

Haldan was asleep in the royal chamber when he heard his name shouted. Dressed in only a shirt and shorts, he left the chamber to address the messenger. 

"Yes? What is it?"

"Airships!" the messenger gasped. "Battleships from Lindblum!"

"Battleships!"

"Yes, sir!"

"How many?"

"At least four."

"Four!"

The man nodded. "Yes, sir."

Haldan paused. "Prepare our defenses—particularly the canons and the Red Rose. Also, get Mortimer, and tell him to meet me on the tower in no more than two minutes dressed for battle!"

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

Within two minutes, Mortimer joined Haldan—who was dressed for battle—at the telescope. 

"Yes, Haldan, what is it?"

Haldan pointed. "Look."

In the distance, Mortimer was able to make out the faint images of the battleships. "I can't tell exactly what it is. Let me look through the telescope."

Mortimer gasped. "Holy shit!"

Haldan nodded. "Exactly. This is the counterattack from Garnet that I knew would come eventually. I've already dictated a battle plan though."

Mortimer was silent.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Haldan…do you think we can pull this off?"

"Huh?"

"I'm serious! Do you think we can pull this off—a victory?"

"The hell's the matter with you! We held them off in Treno! Hell, the only reason why we no longer control that city's because we decided to give it back to them!"

"Yes, but we also didn't have four battleships coming towards us."

"And we also didn't have the power of an eidolon either, did we!"

"_Can four battleships take an eidolon?"_ asked Mortimer.

"Well?" added Haldan.

"…No, we didn't."

Haldan smiled. "Good man! Look, here's what we're gonna do. We're going to fire our canons at those ships. Then we're going to take the Red Rose into battle, and use it against the ships."

"Do we actually have anyone in our army that can fly a battleship?"

"Of course! We'll have some of the POWs fly it. Oh! And I have one more important thing to tell you."

"What's that?"

"I want you to summon Bahamut."

"Right now?"

"No, wait until I tell you."

Within a minute after Haldan finished his sentence, the first volley of canon fire attacked the gate.

"Shit!" exclaimed Haldan.

Then he turned to his canons. "The hell's the matter! Fire those canons!"

* * *

A canon ball breezed by the ship that Zidane directly commanded, but a similar canon ball nearly struck one of the ships to his left. 

"If any of you're struck by their fire, you'll know what to do," Zidane said to the other ships.

"Zidane," replied an officer on one of the ships, "I think I can take out their canon fire."

"How so?"

"I think I can fire a canon ball directly into the barrels of their guns."

"No, don't do that."

"What!"

"If you fire your guns into their barrels it'll cause an explosion that could kill some of the citizens. Instead, I recommend that you aim for the towers above the canons. The debris'll cause the barrels to be blocked, which'll prevent them from firing."

"Zidane, look!" began Eiko. "Isn't that the Red Rose?"

"…Yes…yes it is…I hate giving this order, but…Wait! The Red Rose's leaving the battlefield?"

* * *

"What the hell're you doing!" screamed one of Haldan's officers. "The battle's that way!" 

The officer pointed.

But the captive Alexandria soldier merely raised his eyes. "I know that."

"Then what the hell're you doing! Turn this ship back that away!"

"Sorry, no can do."

The officer gasped. "What! You'll do it, or I'll ram this fucking sword through your gut!"

The soldier laughed. "Ram it all you want to; it won't change a damn thing, because if you kill me, then what? Who's going to fly the ship? You? That's a good laugh! You probably don't even have anybody who can fly the ship, which's why you had to get us prisoners to do it, isn't it?"

The officer said nothing.

But the soldier smirked. "Well, because you're not saying anything it means that I'm right. Hell, maybe me or somebody else should just crash the ship. If you kill us it'll be the same thing. You see, there's no way we could attack those ships. Our queen might be on board, and she's seven months pregnant."

"…Then she's a fool!"

"So're you for taking a ship into battle, and not having anyone who knows how to fly it. Of course, I'm not sure who's the bigger fool—you or Haldan? …Dear god! How the hell did we lose to such a piss poor army!"

"…Okay, then where're you taking us?"

"To Lindblum."

"Lindblum!"

"You got it!"

"Wha-what'll happen to us there?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll be jailed, and after that—well, there's two possibilities. If Haldan wins then you'll probably be ransomed back. But if Queen Garnet wins, then you'll be shipped back to Alexandria for a trial…Either way, I guess you'll be coming back to Alexandria."

"…Our commander won't lose!"

"You'd better hope so. By the way, are you a citizen of Alexandria?"

"…Yes."

"Well, if Garnet wins today then you'll be guilty of treason. You know what that means, don't you?"

"_It means that I'll be executed. But so be it!_ …I'll just be a martyr in a righteous cause then!"

The soldier nodded. "Well, I can't say that you don't have faith in your crusade."

* * *

"The hell's going on!" exclaimed Haldan. "Where's that ship going! Get me in contact with the Red Rose!" 

"Haldan!" gasped a soldier, with dust all over his armor.

"Yes?" Haldan replied, still annoyed with the events that surrounded the Red Rose.

"The gate's being assaulted! We can't push them back!"

Immediately after that soldier finished his sentence, another soldier arrived who gasped for air and was also covered with dust. "Haldan!

"One moment, please."

"I'm sorry, but this is very important."

"…What is it?"

"Alexandria Harbor's under assault! There's too many of them! We can't push them back!"

Haldan said nothing. He appeared to be lost in a trance. And it was at this moment that a canon ball struck the above canons. The debris fell on the barrels, and prevented them from firing.

"Haldan!" began Mortimer.

Haldan jumped.

"Haldan, don't you think we should surrender?"

Haldan glared. "Surrender! The hell's the matter with you! Why're you wanting to give up and go back to the way things were? I'd rather die than go back to the way things were! I taught you courage, and I know that my teachings weren't in vain. Now, summon Bahamut!"

"I haven't forgotten your lessons, Haldan. And I'm grateful for them…But you also taught me to speak my mind and not be afraid. And right now, Haldan, all I see summoning Bahamut does is delay the inevitable. Don't you see!"

"Oh, yeah, I see…I see that my right-hand man has given up on hope!"

Mortimer sighed. "Fine…_But all this is doing's delaying the inevitable. Bahamut can't stop all the troops. He might not even be able to stop the battleships."_

* * *

"An eidolon has been summoned!" declared Zidane. "Eiko, you know what to do!" 

Eiko nodded. She walked to the bow of the battleship, and summoned Alexander.

The eidolon's angelic wings produced a ray of light that pushed Bahamut away, until it faded into nothingness.

* * *

Back at the tower, Mortimer and the two soldiers gasped. 

"I-I never realized there was an eidolon here!" said Mortimer.

Haldan said nothing. He was once again lost in a trance. The war was over. Although he remained silent, Haldan had to admit that fact. Finally, he unsheathed his sword and stared at the steel.

Haldan turned to Mortimer, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Mortimer, thank you for always being there for me and for being a true friend."

"Huh? …_Something's wrong here. This isn't the time for Haldan to be talking like this."_

And to his two soldiers, Haldan added, "I've got one last order to give you."

"Yes?" one of the soldiers replied.

"I relieve all of you from my service…"

Mortimer and the two soldiers gasped.

"Go now and do what you think's best for you. I bid you a very fond farewell."

"No! Don't!" shouted Mortimer.

But it was too late. Haldan ran himself through.


	16. Interrogation

**Author's Note:** Greetings, everyone! Well, I thought that I would tell everyone that I finished watching Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children last night, and I didn't really like it. I felt that it lacked a lot of drama. Plus, I have to confess that while I liked Final Fantasy VII I didn't like it as well as I did Final Fantasy VI, Final Fantasy IX or Final Fantasy X. Well, that's enough of my rant—now, to talk about this chapter. This chapter is something of an interrogation that talks some about Haldan and Mortimer's past. And, as always, please continue to read and review!

_Saints and sinners,  
something within us,  
we are lord of the flies.  
Saints and sinners,  
something within us,  
to be lord of the flies_—

"Lord of the Flies"—Iron Maiden

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter XVI**

Mortimer wept, as he kneeled over Haldan's corpse. Around him, the battle continued. The two soldiers knelt and cried as well. To them, Haldan was a 'savior'—as he was for the would-be assassin of Zidane and Garnet. Haldan had led these two soldiers out of poverty and into the life of luxury—Alexandria's palace. Haldan was something of a savior for Mortimer, but he was something more—a friend.

Once Mortimer regained his composure, he turned to the two soldiers. "I know that you don't have to follow my orders anymore, but there's a favor I'd like to ask you?"

One of the soldiers sniffed. "What's that?"

"Go and find some oil…I'd like to burn Haldan's body…For all I know, Alexandria'll desecrate his body, and put his head on display in some museum."

The other soldier nodded. "I know where there's some oil."

"Then let's make haste!"

But their efforts resulted in failure. Mortimer and the two soldiers were captured, placed in irons, and sent to Lindblum.

* * *

The next day, Zidane, Garnet, and Eiko entered the Lindblum dungeon that housed Mortimer, who was still in irons. 

When Mortimer noticed the three he smiled. "Well, it looks like I'm receiving a royal welcome."

"Did you kill, Moco?" Eiko said, short and to the point.

"Huh?"

"It's a simple question! Did you or didn't you kill Moco!"

"Who's Moco?"

"A moogle in Madain Sari."

"…No, I didn't…That was Haldan who did that."

"But why? Moco was unarmed!"

"Because he got in the way…I didn't like it either, but the fact is he got in Haldan's way."

"You were in the way of my ancestors!"

"I did what I had to do…"

Eiko struck her flute across Mortimer's nose.

Mortimer groaned. Blood seeped through his fingers. "You little bitch!"

"Eiko! That's enough!"

Eiko turned to Garnet.

"I know what happened to Moco was cowardly, but I can't do anything about it. I've no control over what happens in Madain Sari."

"Maybe you don't, Dagger, but I certainly do!"

"I'm sorry, Eiko, but I can't have this right now. I'm here to ask questions about Alexandria."

Eiko's face was still set on thunder.

But Zidane touched Eiko's shoulders. "Perhaps it'd be best if you left the room, Eiko."

Eiko continued to glare. But finally she sighed and nodded. Zidane showed her the door.

The blood from Mortimer's nose began to clot, and his breathing returned to normal.

"Mortimer," began Garnet, "I'm Queen Garnet of Alexandria, and I understand from the captured soldiers in Haldan's army that you're Haldan's second in command?"

Mortimer nodded. "That's correct; and even though I'm not from Alexandria, I know who you are."

"Oh? Where're you from?"

"Here in Lindblum."

The word 'Lindblum' perked Zidane's interest. "Really? That's where I'm from. But I don't believe I ever saw you in the city."

"Well, this is a big town."

Zidane chuckled. Despite the fact that Mortimer was one of Zidane and Garnet's chief foes their conversation had been rather pleasant. "Well, that's true. Where do you live?"

"The Business District."

"And how exactly did you get involved with Haldan?" interjected Garnet.

Mortimer sighed. "It's a very long story…"

"Well, we want to hear it," replied Zidane.

Mortimer chuckled. "Somehow I thought you'd say that, Prince Zidane."

Zidane smiled. "Just 'Zidane' will do—no 'prince' or 'prince consort.'"

Mortimer returned the smile. "Okay, then Zidane, here's the story. I first met Haldan five years ago. At the time I was something of an outsider, which means I was usually rejected by people. And because I was rejected by people it caused me to have low self-esteem.

"But when I first met Haldan something happened in my life that I'd never received before—respect. Haldan treated me just like I was his equal, which is amazing! I mean, here's a guy who's an ex-Knight of Pluto, and he's treating me as though I was in the service with him!

"Haldan became my friend, and it was through him that my confidence rose; and I believed that I could do anything—especially when I learned how to handle a sword through his training, or when I learned how to summon an eidolon."

"_I guess now I can see how that guy who tried to kill me and Dagger on our wedding day considered Haldan to be his 'savior'…Wait!_ …Did Haldan order a shooter to kill me and Dagger?"

"Huh?"

"Did Haldan order a shooter to kill me and Dagger on our wedding day?"

"…I don't think so. That really wasn't Haldan's style. He didn't like the idea of assassins. But I have to tell you that there were a lot of people in Alexandria—the kingdom not the city—that wanted Queen Garnet dead."

"So the assassin acted on his own that day?" asked Garnet.

Mortimer nodded. "I guess so."

"What happened to him?" added Zidane.

"Who?"

"The assassin."

"I don't know…I don't even know who he was."

"He was locked in the dungeon after the assassination attempt took place."

"Hmm…oh, wait! I think I might know who you're talking about. Was he someone about my age with brown hair and brown eyes?"

Zidane and Garnet nodded.

"Okay, I know who you're talking about. After we captured the city, Haldan let him go."

"Where did he go?"

Mortimer shook his head. "I don't know; I really didn't pay that much attention to him. I guess he went back to wherever he came from."

"I remember that he said, 'Treno.'"

Garnet nodded. "It's just as well. I planned on pardoning him anyway."

Mortimer was stunned. "What! Really!"

Again Garnet nodded. "Yes. That man was starving, and it was due to bad policy on my part. If I was desperate for food, I'd probably act irrational too."

Mortimer smiled. "You amaze me sometimes, Queen Garnet. I'm beginning to see through our conversation that you're not a tyrannical ruler."

"What would've ever made you think so in the first place? You're not from Alexandria."

"No, but I'm from Lindblum, and Lindblum was attacked by Alexandria."

"That wasn't Dagger's fault."

"Maybe not, but it was still Alexandria's fault. And 'Dagger'—as you call her—is the Queen of Alexandria."

"So is that why you joined Haldan in his attack on Alexandria?" asked Garnet.

"Sort of, but not quite—I was angry over what Alexandria had done, but…I think I just would've followed Haldan anywhere…I was just loyal to him."

"Why did Haldan hate Alexandria so much?"

"…I don't think Haldan really hated the country of Alexandria so much as he hated the establishment."

"I take it then he was born into a lower-class family?" asked Zidane.

Haldan nodded. "He was, but he didn't talk about his family much."

"Where was he from?" asked Garnet.

"A little village outside Dali."

"I think I know where that area is," replied Zidane. "I think it's called, Caesarea."

"Yeah, that's it!" responded Mortimer. "But like I said, he didn't talk about his family much. I think his parents were already dead…Still, I think part of his problems were his departure from the Knights of Pluto."

"Captain Steiner told us it was because of his attitude."

"That's not what Haldan told me."

"What did he tell you?" asked Garnet.

"He said it was because they weren't being run properly, but every time he mentioned it to Captain Steiner he'd just cite him for insubordination."

Zidane chuckled. "_I can see that with ol' Rusty."_

"What's so funny, Zidane?" asked Garnet.

"Oh, nothing."

Garnet sighed, and returned to Mortimer. "So what you're saying is that Haldan didn't really launch this crusade, because of the plight of the people?"

"I wouldn't say that. I think Haldan did find the barrier between the rich and the poor unfair, and that the poor weren't always given the opportunity to move ahead…I think some of that can also relate to his departure from the Knights of Pluto."

"Mortimer, I've only a few more important questions to ask you."

"All right?"

"You realize that this war's over, don't you?"

Mortimer nodded. "Yes, I realized that yesterday when I saw the battleships approaching Alexandria Castle."

"Well then, do you think the soldier's in Haldan's army'll lay down their swords and go home?"

"After the defeat yesterday, they probably will."

"Wait!" interjected Zidane. "I have a question!"

"Yes, Zidane?" replied Garnet.

"Did all of those men follow Haldan for the same reasons that you did?"

"…Some did, I'm sure, but certainly not all. Some did because they loved Haldan's message of hope—a world where they'd leave the slums, and live like kings!"

"So even if they laid down their arms it doesn't mean they'd be any more loyal to Dagger?"

Again Mortimer nodded. "There's always that possibility…But…I believe that if those who're citizens of Alexandria receive a pardon and pledge an oath to the queen, they'll be pretty loyal…Considering that's not the fate of most revolutions."

Garnet returned the nod. "Yes, and I intend to speak to the people of my kingdom as soon as I can…Mortimer?"

"Yes?"

"I pardon you."

Mortimer was stunned. "R-really?"

Garnet nodded again. "Yes, although I'm not sure if Eiko'll forgive you for what happened in Maidan Sari, I nevertheless forgive you."

Mortimer smiled. "I thank you, Queen Garnet, and I'll try to talk to Eiko, because I didn't really like what happened that day in Madain Sari; but I don't think I'll try to discuss the issue too much with her, because I could tell she was really upset about it."

"Well, be with Eiko when you apologize to her," smiled Zidane. "Mostly to make sure that Eiko doesn't hit you with her flute again."

Mortimer returned the smile. "Thank you."

And then he turned to Garnet. "If I may, Queen Garnet, I have one question to ask you?"

"Yes?"

"Where's Haldan's body? I originally wanted to burn it, because I was afraid it'd be mutilated and put on display."

"It's lying on an altar in Alexandria's crypt. Captain Steiner's watching over it."

Zidane chuckled. "It's kind of funny, because I know that Steiner hated Haldan; but at the same time, I could tell that he respected him."

"How so?"

"He said that as a warrior, Haldan was one of the best…I guess that he admired that about him."

Mortimer smiled. "I'll have to thank him for that. But what I'd like to ask now is can I have the body? I'd like to bury it properly, and I think Haldan's men'd like that too."

Garnet nodded. "I can grant that request."

Again Mortimer smiled and returned the nod. "Thank you, Queen Garnet."


	17. Public Forum

**Author's Note:** Hey, everyone! I would like to thank everyone for the feedback for the last couple of chapters, but I've been asked, "Is that the end?" Well, here's a new chapter, so the answer is, "no." It's not quite the end—not yet anyway. I also want to thank TabletsofDreams for his critical review, and I wish that I would receive more like his. But I also wish that he would have left an email address, because there are some comments I had to his critical review. Other than that,please continue to read and review.

_Told you once about your friends and neighbors.  
They were always seeking, but they'll never find it.  
It's alright. Yes, it's alright.  
Where to go and where to see?  
It's always been that way, and it can never be.  
It's alright. Yes, it's alright.  
Give it all and ask for no return.  
And very soon you'll see, and you'll begin to learn,  
that it's alright. Yes, it's alright_—

"It's Alright"—Black Sabbath

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter XVII**

On Monday, Mortimer—and some of those close to Haldan—returned to Alexandria to take their leader and friend's body. Haldan was dressed in his armor, with his sword by his side—both were still stained with his blood. Mortimer and those close to Haldan bowed before their former commander. It was decided that Haldan would be buried in Caesarea.

* * *

The next day Zidane and Garnet returned to Alexandria. They were dressed in the clothes from their adventure two years ago. The two stood in Alexandria's square. Beside them were Steiner and Beatrix. And before them were Alexandria's citizens. 

Zidane addressed them. "Hey, everyone! I want to say first of all that I'm glad to see all of you! Alexandria's been through a lot—first the incident with Kuja, the situation with the reparations, Haldan, and now the re-conquest. Well, our queen would like to address you. So, I'm going to turn everything over to her."

Zidane stepped back.

And Garnet stepped forward.

Many of the citizens applauded her.

Garnet smiled. "Thank you very much. I appreciate that. But I have to confess that I know there was a time when a lot of you wanted to throw stones at me. All I ask is that if you stone me, please aim for my face, and not my stomach."

Garnet rubbed her belly, and the people chuckled.

So did Zidane, Beatrix, and Steiner.

"_This is good. I'm glad that the people're seeing Dagger's funny side."_

"But now I have to turn to something serious…A couple of years ago, Alexandria attacked the peaceful countries of Lindblum, Burmecia, and Clerya…Many people died during those attacks. You didn't have anything to do with it—and neither did I—but it was still Alexandria's fault; and as queen, I was responsible for paying the reparations…Unfortunately, I went about it the wrong way. The increased taxes were wrong. I simply followed bad advice. And for that mistake, I ask your forgiveness. The only time taxes would ever be raised again is if it's a situation that benefits Alexandria; and from my talks with Zidane, I've decided to create a Parliament from the various towns and cities throughout the empire. Membership will not be based on class. And a public debate'll be held between all candidates regardless of how much money one candidate has. I've also decided that once every year, I'll meet in public with my subjects to hear their concerns personally—unless certain circumstances keep me from doing so."

The citizens were stunned. The queen had just created a new form of government—one that gives the people of Alexandria more power.

"Second, I would like to speak to those of you who had a home or business damaged in the recent attack. I'll be giving out funds to help you recover and rebuild your home, or your business, or both."

That statement was met applause.

Garnet smiled. "Thank you again, but now I'd like to turn to something else. During the occupation of Alexandria under Haldan you heard propaganda spread that brought into question my lineage to the throne. That I'm not actually my mother's child…Let me state that, that was not propaganda. That was true."

The citizens of Alexandria gasped.

And Garnet nodded. "I understand your surprise. It's perfectly legitimate. I was in fact born in the village of Madain Sari, on the Outer Continent; and I came here twelve years ago, when I was six years old. My biological mother and I were escaping a demonic eye—one that some of you might remember seeing two years ago when Alexandria was attacked."

Many in the crowd nodded.

"When my mother and I reached the shores of Alexandria, she was dead; and I was now motherless. As it turns out, the king and queen had recently lost their daughter—who was named Garnet. Because I looked so much like her, I was re-baptized as 'Garnet' and would become the heir to the throne.

"There's a reason why I'm telling you this. I see Alexandria as a family, with me at the head—thus I'm a mother to all of you. And as a family, I don't want there to be any secrets—unless it could potentially harm someone or the kingdom. That's why I wanted you to know the truth about my family. And I hope that even though in a sense I'm a foreigner; I'm my mother's appointed successor, and this country's just as much my home as it's yours; and I'm going to give my all for Alexandria. I pray, therefore, that you'll accept me—and those who come after me—by choice and not by force."

Once Garnet finished her speech the crowd began to applaud and cheer. Shouts of 'God Save the Queen' were heard. And Garnet turned to Zidane and smiled.


	18. Conclusion

**Author's Note:** Greetings, everyone! Well, this is it. The last chapter of A Time of Peace. A Time of War. I want to thank everyone who has read this story so far. Of all the stories I've written this one has received the most hits. Maybe not the most feedback—but definately the most hits. This chapter is just a simple conclusion; but if anyone has any ideas for a sequel, email them to me. Again, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed!

_And did those feet in ancient times,  
walk upon England's mountains green?  
And was the holy Lamb of God,  
of England's pleasant pastures seen?  
__And did the countenance divine,  
shine forth on our clouded hill?  
Was Jerusalem built here,  
on England's green and pleasant land?  
Let it rain. Let it rain.  
Wash the scales from my eyes.  
Let it rain. Let it rain.  
Let me see again_—

"Jerusalem"—Bruce Dickinson

**A Time of Peace.** **A Time of War**

**Chapter XVIII**

Fourteen months after the conclusion of the re-conquest, Garnet—dressed in her traveling clothes—brushed her hair, while a brown hair-brown eyed child—with a tiny summoner horn and a pacifier in its mouth—stumbled past her.

"Hunter, I need to brush your hair in a minute, baby."

"No!" the toddler replied, short and to the point.

Garnet giggled. "What's wrong? Don't you want to be a handsome boy like Daddy?"

"No!"

Garnet continued to giggle.

And Zidane entered the royal chamber, picked up his young son, kissed his cheek, and sat on the bed with him. "You need to have your hair combed, Hunter. It'll make all the girls like you better."

Hunter Tribal prepared to voice his disapproval again, but the fingers of his father stopped him. He giggled instead.

While his son giggled, Zidane turned to Garnet. "Here, give me the brush. I'll comb his hair."

After Hunter Tribal had his hair combed, the toddler climbed off his father's lap and entered his nursery—where a rocking horse awaited him.

Garnet finished with her hair, sat beside Zidane, and smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"For combing his hair."

"Why're you thanking me for that? I'm his father. Isn't it my job to take care of my boy?"

"Yes, and you're pretty good at it; except when it comes to changing his diapers."

Zidane chuckled. "Sorry, but that's a bit out of my league."

Garnet returned the chuckle. "So I've noticed…every time you've tried."

Zidane smiled. "So, are you ready to go?"

"Yes, I just need to get some things for Hunter."

"All right."

"By the way, what play's Ruby performing?"

"I'm not sure. She didn't really say—more than likely something from Lord Avon."

"That'll be good. I haven't seen any of his plays in a while. I wonder if we can get Tantalus to perform for us again?"

"I'm sure I can arrange that. Tantalus loves coming here, and it gives them a chance to see me and Hunter…They love that little guy, you know?"

Garnet smiled. "Yes, they do, but I think Hunter likes Baku the most. He loves pulling on his beard, just as much as he loves pulling on Uncle Cid's moustache."

Zidane chuckled. "Yeah, I know."

"By the way, do you think Blank's ever going to ask Ruby to marry him?"

"Who knows? He doesn't talk about that stuff much with me—or anybody else for that matter…It's kinda weird though. He's been dating Ruby since before you and I were married."

"Yes, I know. But I guess we'll have one new wedding to go to in the future."

"Right, Beatrix and Steiner…Those two're exact opposites, you know?"

Garnet chuckled. "Well, so're we! Haven't you ever heard that opposites attract?"

Zidane paused. "Yeah, I've heard it. I just never thought anything of it. I always thought what made us similar, not what set us apart."

Garnet smiled, and kissed him.

Then she entered Hunter's nursery. "Time to go to the theater, baby."

**The End**

**+ Cody the Impaler +**

"**Up the Irons!"**


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